Public referendums:
April, 1993 - Gambling expansion prohibited - Approved 59% April, 1993 - Continue State Lottery - Approved 72%

Michael Edmonds was appointed Acting Administrator of the Lottery Division for the Wisconsin Lottery in April, 2003. Mike has been an attorney in private practice since 1989, handling a variety of cases including criminal and civil litigation in state, federal, and bankruptcy courts.
Prior to that he served as an Assistant State Public Defender for four years and worked as a Legislative Assistant in the Wisconsin legislature. Mike earned a B.A. degree in History from Lawrence University and a J.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Lottery Declines to Seek Full Damages Against Vendor
MADISON, Wisconsin (Nov 27, 2008) – A Legislative Audit Bureau report released last week is said to have found that the State Lottery declined to assess damages for 12 out of 30 incidents whose technical failures have disrupted ticket sales and operations in the budget year that ended June 30...............Subscribers

Lottery Says Illegal Pull-Tabs Cost State Millions
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (November 20, 2008) - Illegal pull-tab games are costing the Wisconsin Lottery millions in revenue, but prosecutors rarely go after their operators, according to an audit released Thursday...............Subscribers

Wisconsin Lottery: Meltdown Affects Megabucks Annuity
MADISON, Wisconsin (October 28, 2008) - The nation's financial crisis is causing a dip in one of the optional jackpots offered in Wisconsin's Megabucks lottery game..................Subscribers

Department of Justice Investigate Internet Site Offering ‘Pick Three’ Game
SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin (October 3, 2008) – The Wisconsin Lottery has reportedly asked the Department of Justice to investigate two Internet sites where consumers can play a "pick three" game to win anywhere from $10 to $1,000..............Subscribers

State Lottery Defies Odds, Soaring Fuel Prices, Faltering Economy Aren't Hurting Sales
WISCONSIN, USA (August 26, 2008) -- According to the state, the Wisconsin Lottery completed its 2008 fiscal year in June up $2 million in sales over 2007, bringing the total for the year to $494.6 million...............Subscribers

Audit Shows Lottery Ticket Sales Down
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (July 8, 2008 – Sales of state lottery tickets dipped about three (3%) percent in fiscal year 2006-07, according to a state audit released Tuesday......................Subscribers

Restrictions Ban State Lottery Internet Sales
MADISON, Wisconsin (June 17, 2008) – When the Wisconsin Constitution was amended 21 years ago to allow the state lottery, opponents added restrictions that banned Internet sales, which...............Subscribers

Senator Objects to Lottery Advertising
MADISON, Wisconsin (June 17, 2008) – The Wisconsin lottery’s marketing and promotional budget was raised by more than 60% this year to $7.5 million. It was the first increase in 17 years. Of that, $4.4 million will be spent on TV ads, including spots to...............Subscribers

It’s a Party and You’re Invited! Wisconsin Lottery Celebrates 20th Anniversary
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (May 28, 2008) -- The summer celebration is in full swing as the Wisconsin Lottery marks its 20th anniversary year with great new games and special events around the state.................Subscribers

Powerball Jackpots Have Been Good for the Wisconsin Lottery
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (March 5, 2008) – Wisconsin Lottery officials, in a report filed with Legislature's Joint Finance Committee, called fiscal year 2006 “an extraordinary year for Powerball sales" when there were jackpots totaling $340 million, $365 million, and $224.2 million..................Subscribers

Scratch Games Getting Pricier
WISCONSIN, USA (February 17, 2008) – As states scramble to bring in revenue the trend in lotteries is toward pricier scratch-off games...............Subscribers

Lottery Comes Up Three 9s, on the 9th
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (December 10, 2007) -- The state’s Pick 3 lottery game came up with a surprising combination in its latest drawing..............Subscribers

Pollard Banknote Issued Contract Renewal by the Wisconsin Lottery
YPSILANTI, MI (October 23, 2007) -- Pollard Banknote recently received a renewal to its pull tab and specialty lottery products contract with the Wisconsin Lottery for an additional year. Under the terms of the initial agreement signed in 2004, a further one-year renewal remains possible after the current contract expires in June 2008...........Read the full story at: Vol.41 No.5

Lotteries Hit Limit for 7-7-7-7 Numbers
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (July 6, 2007) -- The Wisconsin Lottery said they reached their $3 million liability limit for Friday night's drawing at 4:10 p.m. on the numbers 7-7-7-7 for the Daily Pick 4 game............Subscribers

7-7-07 Could be Your Lucky Lottery Day…If You Buy Early
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (July 3, 2007) -- July 7, 2007 is being called one of the “luckiest” days of the last 100 years...........Subscribers

Lottery’s Total Ticket Sales Rise 19% Over The Past Five Fiscal Years
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (June 26, 2007) -- Wisconsin lottery players spent $509 million on tickets in the last fiscal year.........Subscribers

Summerfest, Wisconsin Lottery Team Up For Instant Scratch Game
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin, USA (April 23, 2007) -- In honour of Summerfest's 40th anniversary, the Wisconsin Lottery is developing a Summerfest Wisconsin Lottery Instant Scratch game.......Subscribers

Wisconsin’s Newest Millionaire Will Be Chosen Soon!
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (April 18, 2007) -- On May 1, the Wisconsin Lottery will choose one winning ticket from all of the tickets sold in its Million Dollar Draw game, creating the state’s newest millionaire..........Subscribers

Lottery Teams Up With Milwaukee Brewers™
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (April 10, 2007) -- GET UP! GET OUT! (and go buy one before they’re) GONE!..........Read the full story at: Vol.39 No.3

State Lottery Sales Set a Record, Second Best in History
MADISON, Wisconsin (July 12, 2006) -- The Wisconsin Lottery posted its best sales in more than a decade and its second best in history.........................Subscribers

Lottery Likely to Post Second-Best Sales Ever for Fiscal Year 2006
WISCONSIN, USA (July 9, 2006) – Preliminary figures for the Wisconsin Lottery showed annual lottery sales were likely to reach more than $500 million, up from $453.8 million last year..........................Subscribers

Lottery Records Best Quarterly Sales Ever
WISCONSIN, USA (April 11, 2006) -- The Wisconsin Lottery has recorded its best quarterly sales ever......................Subscribers

Lottery Sales Up For Quarter
WISCONSIN, USA (March 21, 2006) – The Wisconsin Lottery is reported to have announced that its most recent quarter sales mark the second best in the lottery’s history. ..............................Subscribers

Wisconsin Lottery Reports Second Best Quarter in its History
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (March 7, 2006) -- The Wisconsin Lottery has reportedly had its second best quarter in its history due to sales from ...............................Subscribers

Snowmobile Derby, Lottery Team Up for Promotion
WISCONSIN, USA (January 2006) -- The creation of a special lottery ticket to promote the World Championship Snowmobile Derby may have just scratched the surface of promotional possibilities...........................Subscribers

Lottery Sales Up In First Quarter
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (November 2005) -- Wisconsin Lottery sales were up during the last quarter, despite volatile gas prices that impacted $1 ticket sales..............................Read the full story at: Vol.33 No.7

Wisconsin Lottery Sales Up In First Quarter
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (November 3, 2005) -- Wisconsin Lottery sales were up during the last quarter, despite volatile gas prices that impacted $1 ticket sales...................................Subscribers

Amber Alerts to Appear on Wisconsin Lottery Terminals
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (October 5, 2005) -- Information about kidnapped children now will appear on state lottery terminals across Wisconsin...............................Subscribers

Drop in Lottery Revenue Blamed on Decline in Powerball Sales
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (July 29, 2005) -- Sales for the Wisconsin Lottery fell by more than $30 million in the year that ended June 30.......................Subscribers

Power Outage Affects Sale of Online Lottery Games
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (July 12, 2005) -- A computer system outage prevented Wisconsin Lottery players from purchasing tickets or validating winning tickets for such games ..........................Subscribers

Super Bowl Promotion Turns Sour for Wisconsin Lottery
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (May 11, 2005) – A promotion arranged by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), that provided winners with Super Bowl tickets, resulted in the Wisconsin Lottery losing more than .........................Subscribers

Lawmaker Continues to Question Couples Exceptional Luck in Lottery Drawings
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (May 9, 2005) -- Further to our story last week concerning a lucky Wisconsin couple who have reportedly won more than..........................Subscribers

Couple Have Too Much Lottery Luck for One State Representative
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (May 4, 2005) -- A Wisconsin couple's unusual run of luck has caught the eye of a state representative. Rep. David Cullen wants to know how the couple has won.....................Subscribers

Lottery Privatization Taken Off the Agenda
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (April 21, 2005) - Lawmakers voted down a proposal in Governor Jim Doyle's budget bill to privatize some of the activities of the Wisconsin lottery. .........................Subscribers

Governor Proposes Privatizing Many Wisconsin Lottery Functions
MADISON, Wisconsin, USA (March 22, 2005) -- Governor Doyle has reportedly proposed privatizing many of the functions of the Wisconsin Lottery.....................................Subscribers