New Jersey Lottery

Hela Young, the New Jersey Lottery's popular television host for the last 25 years, died yesterday leaving coworkers and players alike feeling as if they had lost a friend. Her family would not release her age. Ms. Young, who had been on a leave of absence from her nightly live lottery drawings since December, died in St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston of an undisclosed illness that her husband, Peter Hochman, said she had been battling for 2 1/2 years. "She was a very integral part of the lottery," said Linda Melone, deputy director of marketing and sales who described Ms. Young as "a very dear friend.

CHOOSING HER NUMBERS, Sharon Slickis, 22, of Hatboro, uses the chest of Gary Bolis Jr., 24, of Fort Washington, for support as she fills out a ticket for the New Jersey lottery. More than seven million people played the Pick 6 Lotto yesterday in hopes of winning the $14.9 million top prize. Winners, if any, were expected to be announced today.

Carole Hedinger of Toms River has been selected as the new executive director of the New Jersey Lottery, state Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff announced Friday. Hedinger previously worked for the lottery from 1994 to 2003. She most recently was chief clerk of the Ocean County Surrogate Court. Hedinger is expected to begin her tenure as acting director next week, pending final approval by the state Senate. Last year the state lottery generated $2.5 billion in sales. - AP

TRENTON - An appeals court has ruled that the state can move ahead with its plan to turn over sales and marketing of the New Jersey Lottery to a vendor, but plans more hearings on the matter. Gov. Christie wants to hand the functions to Northstar New Jersey, a joint venture that was the only bidder for the 15-year contract. The deal would give the state $120 million up front. The Communications Workers of America, which represents lottery workers, sued to block the deal, saying it should not be allowed to go ahead in part because there was just one bidder.

Judith Scheibelhut, 69, didn't want to get her hopes up until she was really sure. She had a ticket for the Oct. 2 Jersey Pick 6 that seemed to match all the winning numbers. She called the store where she bought the ticket, a 7-Eleven on Maple Avenue in Merchantville to see if its numbers matched the newspaper's, according to the New Jersey Lottery. They did. When William Fitzpatrick, 79, came home to their place in Maple Shade, she had him read off the numbers again. Finally, she put a hand up for a high-five and declared, "We won!"

Whoever won the New Jersey half of last week's record $390 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot is becoming a bigger loser by the minute. The mystery millionaire has already lost as much as $140,625 - interest that the giant jackpot could have earned in a bank for a week. That's nearly three times what the typical New Jersey resident makes in a year. "It would seem like it's a big financial hit not to be earning that interest, but in terms of what they have won, the amount is a drop in the bucket," said Don Taylor, an associate finance professor at the American College in Bryn Mawr, who writes a personal finance column for the Web site www.bankrate.

The Eagles have announced a program for fans who cannot use their game tickets and want to donate them to local nonprofit organizations and children in the region. To donate tickets, season ticketholders should go to the team Web site, log into their personal account and click "Manage My Tickets. " Select the option, "Donate Tickets to Charity. " There is no delivery fee for donations and fans who participate will receive a charitable donation tax receipt.   The New Jersey Lottery has launched an Eagles instant ticket game, with prizes ranging from $5 to $100,000, and 10 "Bonus Zone Second Chance Drawings" that include such prizes as 2011 season tickets, VIP road trips, Lunch with an Eagles player and merchandise prize packs.

In a decision sought by New Jersey Lottery officials, a Superior Court appellate panel ruled yesterday that out-of-state lottery tickets may not be sold in New Jersey. Overturning a lower court's decision that denied an injunction against a Jersey City firm, the Appellate Division ruled that selling the out-of-state tickets violates New Jersey's constitutional prohibition against gambling. Judge Stephen Skillman, who wrote the opinion, said the New Jersey Constitution prohibits the legislature from authorizing gambling "unless the specific kind, restrictions and control" are approved by public referendum.

Here's a trick no magician would be proud to perform – making $200,000 disappear. That could happen July 23, when a winning Powerball ticket will turn into a worthless slip of paper. Eleven months ago, someone placed a bet, so to speak, at the One Stop Shoppe, 103 N.E. Atlantic Avenue, in Magnolia, Camden County. On July 23, that ticket became worth $200,000, when the first five numbers drawn matched the digits on the ticket. They were 1, 7, 27, 38 and 48. The player missed only the Powerball, which was 30. Tickets expire after one year, so less than a month is left.

At least somebody knows who New Jersey's newest nouveau riche lottery winner is. State lottery officials said the Jersey winner in last week's $330 million Mega Millions jackpot has come forward and will be introduced at a news conference today. "An individual" has claimed the prize, said Dominick DeMarco, spokesman for the New Jersey Lottery. He declined to elaborate. The Jersey winner will split the giant jackpot with three other winners from Maryland, Texas and Virginia.

TRENTON - An appeals court has ruled that the state can move ahead with its plan to turn over sales and marketing of the New Jersey Lottery to a vendor, but plans more hearings on the matter. Gov. Christie wants to hand the functions to Northstar New Jersey, a joint venture that was the only bidder for the 15-year contract. The deal would give the state $120 million up front. The Communications Workers of America, which represents lottery workers, sued to block the deal, saying it should not be allowed to go ahead in part because there was just one bidder.

TRENTON - Gov. Christie is privatizing much of the $2.8 billion New Jersey Lottery, outsourcing marketing and sales to a joint venture in a 15-year deal that immediately puts $120 million into state coffers. Unlike in Pennsylvania, where fellow Republican Gov. Corbett's plan to privatize the lottery was blocked by Democratic Attorney General Kathleen Kane, New Jersey's governor can act unilaterally despite opposition from the Democrats who control the Legislature. They passed a bill that would require legislative approval to award such a contract, but Christie ignored it. The Treasury Department said the contract guarantees that the company - a conglomerate called Northstar New Jersey Lottery Group - would bring in between $1.42 billion and $6.88 billion more than the state would have over the next 15 years.

Judith Scheibelhut, 69, didn't want to get her hopes up until she was really sure. She had a ticket for the Oct. 2 Jersey Pick 6 that seemed to match all the winning numbers. She called the store where she bought the ticket, a 7-Eleven on Maple Avenue in Merchantville to see if its numbers matched the newspaper's, according to the New Jersey Lottery. They did. When William Fitzpatrick, 79, came home to their place in Maple Shade, she had him read off the numbers again. Finally, she put a hand up for a high-five and declared, "We won!"

TRENTON - Four companies interested in running portions of the New Jersey Lottery attended a mandatory information session Thursday, taking the first step toward privatization. The Treasury Department is looking to hand over sales and marketing operations to a vendor next year, with incentives to the vendor to boost sales. The vendor would be penalized if revenue falls below expectations and would realize bigger profits if it exceeds targets. The state would retain ownership of the lottery.

Here's a trick no magician would be proud to perform – making $200,000 disappear. That could happen July 23, when a winning Powerball ticket will turn into a worthless slip of paper. Eleven months ago, someone placed a bet, so to speak, at the One Stop Shoppe, 103 N.E. Atlantic Avenue, in Magnolia, Camden County. On July 23, that ticket became worth $200,000, when the first five numbers drawn matched the digits on the ticket. They were 1, 7, 27, 38 and 48. The player missed only the Powerball, which was 30. Tickets expire after one year, so less than a month is left.

Nobody hit the latest multistate lottery jackpots, but a Philadelphia ticket just missed, winning $2 million in Saturday's Powerball drawing, a day after a Camden County ticket won $250,000 in Mega Millions. The winning ticket was sold at Long Newsstand, 310 Oregon Ave., in South Philadelphia. It matched the first five numbers drawn, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 27, while having the Power Play prize-sweetener option. It missed only the Powerball, which was 26. New Jersey, along with New York and Arizona, each had a $1 million winner, who matched five numbers without the Power Play.

Here's a roundup of the latest lottery news. Camden County ticket wins $872,215. A Jersey Cash 5 ticket sold at Liquor Ranch, 4950 Marlton Pike, in Pennsauken matched all the numbers drawn Monday: 8, 18, 22, 26 and 36. Delco ticket just misses Mega Millions jackpot. The $25 million top prize was won Tuesday night by single ticket purchased at a Mobil station on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. It matched all the numbers: 10, 11, 12, 14 and 24, and the Mega Ball of 6. Winning $250,000, though, was a ticket at a Rite Aid on West Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore.

The ticket that had them all in Powerball was sold in Indiana. For matching all the numbers drawn last night - 10, 18, 41, 55 and 56, with a Powerball of 15 - someone there can claim a jackpot worth $221.7 million, the lottery's biggest prize since June. Earning $1 million, for matching the first five while having the Power Play multiplier option were two tickets, sold in Tennessee and Wisconsin. Thirteen tickets won $200,000 each for matching the first five without the Power Play.

The Eagles have announced a program for fans who cannot use their game tickets and want to donate them to local nonprofit organizations and children in the region. To donate tickets, season ticketholders should go to the team Web site, log into their personal account and click "Manage My Tickets. " Select the option, "Donate Tickets to Charity. " There is no delivery fee for donations and fans who participate will receive a charitable donation tax receipt.   The New Jersey Lottery has launched an Eagles instant ticket game, with prizes ranging from $5 to $100,000, and 10 "Bonus Zone Second Chance Drawings" that include such prizes as 2011 season tickets, VIP road trips, Lunch with an Eagles player and merchandise prize packs.