Lottery Audit Echoes Whistleblower

Monday's interim legislative meetings also yielded an audit that concludes the Lottery Commission has interfered with the state's program for problem gamblers.

Lottery "sought to influence the advertising of the Problem Gamblers Help Network," The Associated Press reports, and "also tried to get the names of agency staff members who may have called the program's hot line."

The Charleston Gazette and The Register-Herald of Beckley also have stories on the audit.

The findings appear to validate allegations by Mia Moran-Cooper, who was ousted as the program's director last year. Lottery officials disagree with most of the audit's conclusions, and also objected to its reference to Moran-Cooper and her allegations.

Update: The Gazette article includes this tidbit from the audit: "West Virginia also is one of only three states where the group running the state lottery directly administers a publicly funded problem gambler program. That’s out of 42 states that operate lotteries, and out of 35 states that have publicly funded programs to assist compulsive gamblers."

Update II: Public Broadcasting also has a piece on the audit (with audio).