This podcast has featured two stories about government endeavors: the much-criticized infrastructure project known as ‘The Big Dig,’ and of... more

There’s a lot of talk lately about patronage politics returning to Washington – a system based on loyalty, relationships, favors... more

Lotteries are part of a long trend toward more and more legal gambling: bingo helped open the door for lotteries,... more

Most lottery games follow a predictable life cycle: a burst of interest followed by a long decline. But something else... more

By 1986 Treasurer Bob Crane has turned the lottery into the most successful operation of its kind, but now he’s... more

The Mass Lottery stumbles when it attempts to launch the nation’s first ‘lotto’ game. But that failure soon becomes an... more

The lottery was never just about stopping crime; it was about bringing in money. In 1980, an anti-tax ballot measure... more

The state lottery can’t run the mob out of the numbers business on their own. Luckily they’ve got help from... more

Before the Massachusetts Lottery can claim to be number one, they have to take out the competition. So in 1976... more

When states got into the gambling business, they wanted the same thing organized crime wanted: money and power. The question... more