Greenwich Gets Its Wish as State Lottery Officials Stop Sales of Powerball Tickets - New York Times

The town of Greenwich today won permission to suspend sales of Powerball multistate lottery tickets on Friday, a move town officials said was needed because too many players with too many dreams of a $280 million jackpot were crossing the border from New York and creating nightmarish conditions for residents and the local police.

It is not the first time Greenwich has sought to prevent hordes of out-of-towners from New York and New Jersey from flocking here, the nearest town where Powerball tickets are sold. Officials made a similar but unsuccessful plea in July 1998 when the town was overrun with Powerball players after the jackpot climbed to a record $296 million.

But Friday's Powerball moratorium in Greenwich will be the first time that Connecticut lottery officials have ever suspended sales of tickets, said Diane Patterson, a lottery spokeswoman.
The numbers for the $280 million prize will be drawn on Saturday night. The odds of winning are about 80 million to 1.

Greenwich applauded the decision today, but other officials in Connecticut suggested that the town, one of the nation's wealthiest, is thin-skinned and a bit spoiled. Kevin B. Sullivan, the Democratic Senate president pro tem, said that Greenwich could set up lottery kiosks on the town beach, a reference to its residents-only beach policy struck down by the State Supreme Court last month.

Powerball tickets are sold in 21 states and the District of Columbia, but not in New York or New Jersey. Greenwich, which is the first stop in Connecticut for many visitors traveling by road or rail, has been the Powerball purchase point of choice for residents of Westchester County, New York City and New Jersey.

The current griping in Greenwich began earlier in the week, when the Powerball jackpot reached more than $190 million. Long lines could be seen outside numerous convenience stores along local highways and downtown. By Wednesday night's drawing, the jackpot reached $193.5 million. There was no winner, setting the stage for a rush on tickets for Saturday's $280 million bonanza.

This week, as in 1998, Greenwich police officials complained of numerous incidents of disorderly conduct, including public urination, as well as traffic congestion, street crowding and parking problems. Police Chief Peter J. Robbins said repeatedly this week that long lines of lottery players had distracted officers from their usual duties.

''We applaud the responsiveness of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation to our request for a suspension of sales.'' Greenwich's first selectwoman, Lolly H. Prince, said in a statement. ''We have experienced serious public safety and health issues. These include, but are not limited to, congestion and traffic that potentially could impede our public safety vehicles from responding to emergency calls.''

Powerball tickets will still be sold elsewhere in Connecticut on Friday. There are some 2,700 lottery sales outlets statewide, and officials urged players to use them.

State lottery officials said that since the record-setting jackpot in July 1998, they had developed emergency procedures for jackpots exceeding $100 million. Those measures, which have been in effect all week, include announcements urging out-of-state players to go farther into the state to buy tickets. Lottery machine maintenance workers are also on 24-hour alert.

Ms. Patterson, the lottery spokeswoman, said thousands of leaflets had been distributed at Metro-North Railroad stations in New York City informing residents that they will spend less time waiting in line to buy tickets if they travel farther into Connecticut. The emergency procedures also allow individual lottery retailers to limit each customer to $100 in tickets.

8/23/09 Greenwich Police Overwhelmed By Powerball

Greenwich suspends Powerball sales for 24 hours
USA Today

Town officials got permission from the state lottery to suspend Powerball ticket sales Friday, saying they were overwhelmed by would-be millionaires from out of state.

The ban also applies in the Cos Cob, Byram, Riverside and Old Greenwich portions of Greenwich, the first Connecticut town on the Metro-North Railroad out of New York City.

Powerball — which is expected to have a jackpot approaching $300 million for Saturday's drawing — is offered in 21 states and the District of Columbia, but not in New York.

Customers standing outside a Greenwich gas station in a downpour Thursday evening were sympathetic — to an extent.

"You also have to understand, it's such a large jackpot," said Dominic Pizzimenti of Astoria, N.Y., who took a train to Greenwich. "Maybe if we hit the jackpot we can afford to live in Greenwich and complain like everybody else."

Inside the gas station, store manager Varinder Kumer said he wasn't going to miss the long lines.

"It's too many problems. People get angry," he said.

Tickets will still be available elsewhere in Connecticut on Friday, including towns further north on the railroad line such as Stamford, Darien and Norwalk, the state lottery said.

Greenwich Police Chief Peter Robbins said police have been so busy monitoring the long lines that even major crime investigations have been interrupted.

"We applaud the responsiveness of the Connecticut Lottery," said Greenwich First Selectman Lolly Prince. "We have experienced serious public safety and health issues."

Prince said traffic has been so bad it could be difficult for emergency vehicles to get through. She also said there had been numerous traffic accidents and incidents of children locked in cars while their parents stood in long lines outside lottery retailers.

The legal authority for the suspension was not immediately clear. A 1999 state law — which expired June 30 — allowed Connecticut towns to suspend Powerball sales for 24 hours if state lottery officials verified that a huge influx of players threatened public health and safety.

Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy said state officials had not talked to him about the matter. Malloy said sales in his town had not been too burdensome so far.

Malloy said if Stamford becomes inundated he would expect the same right to suspension as Greenwich.

Sgt. J. Paul Vance, the spokesman for the state police, said troopers had been assigned to eight locations in Greenwich to assist with crowd control between 8 a.m. and midnight daily.

Senate Majority Leader George Jepsen, D-Stamford, said many upstate legislators were wary of allowing individual towns to suspend lottery sales.

Senate Majority Leader George Jepsen, D-Stamford, said many upstate legislators were wary of allowing individual towns to suspend lottery sales.

Jepsen, who is now running for governor, said Greenwich legislators were seeking a unilateral right to shut down sales — "which might have been convenient for them, but not so convenient for the rest of the state," he said.

"Many upstate legislators feel that there are a lot of benefits to being a border town and having the proximity to New York City," Jepsen added. "Maybe there are drawbacks too, but the bad goes with the good."

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin Sullivan, D-West Hartford, said Greenwich residents were overreacting.

Sullivan suggested, with tongue in cheek, that Greenwich set up lottery kiosks on the town beach. The state Supreme Court ruled last month that Greenwich's residents-only beach access policy was unconstitutional.