A state legislator needs an audit of the California Lottery to look right into a whistleblower grievance about greater than $200,000 price of scratchers tickets given to Ellen DeGeneres’ TV present for viewers items
LOS ANGELES —
A state legislator needs an audit of the California Lottery to look right into a whistleblower grievance about greater than $212,000 price of Scratchers tickets that got to Ellen DeGeneres’ TV present for viewers items.
The lottery seen the transfer as a publicity boon however the grievance filed by some lottery workers contends the giveaway was a “misuse of funds,” the Los Angeles Instances reported Friday.
The giveaway occurred on the Dec. three episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Present.” The lottery confirmed the present was given for gratis 425 packets that every included 72 Scratchers tickets with a face worth of $500 per packet, the Instances stated.
The controversy has arisen simply weeks earlier than the discharge of a lottery audit requested final yr by California Senator Ling Ling Chang after allegations of wasteful spending, improper items and nepotism.
Chang stated the audit ought to examine the TV present giveaway as a result of she’s involved about funding that the lottery is meant to generate for California public faculties.
“I wish to know the way this contribution impacts supplemental funding to California public faculties. Does it assist? I don’t assume so,” stated Chang, a Republican from Diamond Bar.
Voters authorized the lottery in 1984. Initially, 34% of gross sales income was to go towards schooling, however the Legislature relaxed that in 2010 to permit managers to comply with “greatest practices.”
Lottery spokesman Russ Lopez stated gifting away greater than 30,000 Scratchers tickets was supposed to create constructive publicity and improve gross sales.
He stated the entire media worth in California from the promotional section on the nationwide present was about $1.6 million, as calculated by Horizon Media, a consulting agency advising the lottery that primarily based the valuation on customary industry-media charges. The lottery additionally buys promoting for its video games.
“The Ellen Present supplied a novel alternative to extend client consciousness of California Lottery’s contributions to public schooling whereas serving to to drive gross sales of Vacation Scratchers,” Lopez stated. “This promotional alternative allowed the lottery to attain vital value financial savings in comparison with shopping for the equal in media publicity by way of a standard advert purchase.”