New Stuff -- Cincinnati-based Games Inc. said it has filed a patent for an Instant lottery game that will incorporate the Internet. When the product is launched, it will be available for purchase in stores that sell lottery tickets. After buying the ticket, the player can go online to a "personal play site" and use their play slip to select an online instant ticket. The player's winnings will be paid to him or her at the store where the original ticket was purchased.
US Tidbit -- The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that a member of the 1999 National Gambling Impact Study Commission is now saying that the group was packed with conservatives in an attempt by right-wingers in Congress to damage the gambling industry. John Wilhelm, the president of the Hotel Employees and the Restaurant Employees International Union, said the conservatives' mission ultimately failed because many casino employees testified at the commission's hearings. "I had the opportunity to serve on the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, which as many of you know, was an attempt by the extreme right wing to derail the gaming industry," Wilhelm said.
Legal Stuff -- The Nevada Gaming Control Board is looking into whether Binion's Horseshoe broke any laws by offering a contest to enter or watch the casino's World Series of Poker on its Web site. The offers have been removed, but the Las Vegas Sun reports that for a while, Binion's site offered a live Webcast of the tournament for $49.95. Dennis Neilander, the chairman of the Gaming Control Board, said the advertisement was taken down from the site before his office could scrutinize it.