Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today applauded Gov. Corbett’s decision today to abandon efforts to privatize the Pennsylvania Lottery.
“We should always look for ways to make government better,” DePasquale said. “But in this case, our lottery is one of the most efficient in the country. Today’s decision means that all of the lottery proceeds will continue to go toward funding programs and services for senior citizens.”
Earlier this month the Department of the Auditor General issued a report on its review of the contract reimbursement for private firms hired to help manage the lottery privatization effort. That review found the costs for three privatization consultants soared from the original $725,000 to an estimated $4.6 million.
“I was concerned from the very beginning that the benefits from a private management agreement would not meet or exceed what the current, very well-run Lottery could produce in the same time frame,” DePasquale said.
“I am pleased to see that we will be refocusing our efforts on improving the lottery and revenue for senior programs using existing lottery employees to save money that would have been spent on a private management firm.”