ND1128112

Title: Online Florida Lotto Ticket Courier Silenced

Description: A California-based website created a stir last month when it began offering the online sale of Powerball tickets.

Page Content:

MIAMI ? Floridians bid farewell to online Powerball ticket brokerage service LottoGopher.com earlier this week, after the state?s Attorney General filed suit to ban the website from operating in the state, the Miami Herald reports.

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Last month, LottoGopher.com launched operations in Florida, confident that it could withstand scrutiny as a purchasing service. ?We?re excited to bring it to Florida,? said James Morel, the site?s creator, saying the site operated fully within Florida law as it didn?t actually sell tickets, but acted as a courier service for those who didn?t want to purchase the tickets themselves.

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But less than a month later, Attorney General Pam Bondi filed suit against the company, demanding full restitution for all fees the site has collected while seeking to ban it from operating in the state. Bondi said the site violated Florida Statute 24.118, which restricts how lottery tickets are distributed in the state.

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?The company is violating state law and creating confusion among our players,? said Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia O?Connell. ?No one is permitted to charge a fee to redeem a player?s winning ticket, yet that is what this company does. A Florida Lottery player should never be asked to pay for something they already receive free of charge.?

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The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties in the amount of $10,000 per violation.

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LottoGopher.com hasn?t responded to the charges but has since removed all references to Florida services from its site.?

Content Subject: Marketing/Merchandising

Formatted Article Date: November 28, 2011

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