Posted by Barton Lorimor

I held off posting this yesterday hoping there would be more to post. But since that did not really happen, here’s the latest development in the state’s effort to privatize the lottery…

Odds are growing that a lucrative contract to manage the Illinois Lottery is heading toward a formal protest, adding more drama and further delay to the high-stakes bidding process that Gov. Pat Quinn is slated to decide on Sept. 15.

One of the biggest lottery firms in the world, Intralot S.A., is weighing a protest after it was eliminated on Aug. 9, barely a week after bids were submitted on July 30, for reasons that remain unknown.

“To date, no information has been provided to Intralot, and therefore the company does not understand how the second-largest lottery vendor/operator in the world, with operations in more than 50 countries and 11 US states, could have been eliminated that early in the process,” the firm said in a statement Tuesday.

Northstar Lottery Group and the Camelot Group are the two finalists still in the mix for the contract.

Camelot runs the UK lottery and the web of organizations that makeup Northstar have consulting contracts throughout the U.S. and Europe. Illinois’ plan would be the first of its kind in the U.S.

Sun-Times columnist Lewis Lazare has more on the politics of the decision…

As the Sept. 15 date draws nearer and the bidding process gains a higher profile in other media outlets, sources say Illinois gubernatorial candidate and Quinn opponent Bill Brady could be preparing to enter the fray and make a statement about the private management contract bid process. But Illinois Senate president John Cullerton, who helped mastermind the legislation that prompted bidding for a Lottery private management contract, is keeping his thoughts to himself, at least for now. “The Senate president is keeping track of what has taken place, but since this is an ongoing process, it would not be appropriate to comment,” said a Cullerton spokesman Tuesday.

Northstar and Camelot are to appear before lottery officials next week to make their case.

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When a team of law enforcement officials arrived at the Grasmere Place nursing home in Uptown for the surprise “Operation Guardian” sweep on July 22, facility administrator Celeste Jensen was waiting for them in the lobby. “What took you so long?” Jensen asked.

* Quinn stops at local nursing home to highlight reforms

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* State Regulators Question Whether ‘’Clean Coal'’ Plant Would Raise Energy Bills

* State watchdog gives itself power to intercept E. St. Louis funds

The move made Friday by the East St. Louis Financial Advisory Authority means the oversight panel can intercept city money that comes from state sources, including gambling fees from the Casino Queen, and deposit it in an account that the authority controls. The authority then could take over responsibility for paying some of the city’s bills.

* Illinois signs bills changing thermostat manufacturers’ mercury rules

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