After years of struggling financially, Susan Rick thought things were looking up when her boyfriend won $250,000 from the Illinois Lottery last month. She could stop working seven days a week, maybe fix up the house and take a trip to Minnesota to visit her daughter. 
  
 But because Illinois lawmakers have not passed a budget, she and her boyfriend, Danny Chasteen, got an IOU from the lottery instead. 
  
 "For the first time, we were finally gonna get a break," said Rick, who lives in Oglesby. "And now the Illinois Lottery has kind of messed everything up." 
  
 Under state law, the state comptroller must cut the checks for lottery winnings of more than $25,000. And lottery officials said that because lawmakers have yet to pass a budget, the comptroller's office does not have legal authority to release the funds. 
  
 Prizes of $25,000 or less will still be paid at lottery claim centers across the state, and people who win $600 or less can cash in their ticket at the place where they bought it. 
  
 But the bigger winners? Out of luck, for now. 
  
 While lottery officials could not immediately say how many winners' payments were delayed or provide the total amount of those payoffs, the agency's website lists multiple press releases for winners since the current fiscal year began July 1. Including Chasteen, those winners represent millions of dollars in prizes. 
  
 "The lottery is a state agency like many others, and we're obviously affected by the budget situation," Illinois Lottery spokesman Steve Rossi said. "Since the legal authority is not there for the comptroller to disburse payments, those payments are delayed." 
  
 It's another sign of the state's troubled finances and lack of a budget. Aug. 28, 2015. (CBS Chicago) It's another sign of the state's troubled finances and lack of a budget. Aug. 28, 2015. (CBS Chicago) SEE MORE VIDEOS 
  
 While Rossi said winners will eventually receive their money once a budget is in place, the promise is cold comfort for Rick. 
  
 "You know what's funny? If we owed the state money, they'd come take it and they don't care whether we have a roof over our head," Rick said. "Our budget wouldn't be a factor. You can't say (to the state), 'Can you wait until I get my budget under control?' " 
  
 Rick, 48, and Chasteen, 56, were expecting the money to come this week after he turned in his winning ticket July 20 to the lottery claim center in Rockford. Instead, they got a phone call this week from lottery officials saying the payment would be delayed because of the budget impasse. 
  
 "I was kind of in shock," Chasteen said. "I called them back the next day (and) said, 'Why am I not getting my money?' ... I think it's all wrong they're doing it this way. They should pay the money we're owed." 
  
 Rick said she also spoke with another lottery official, who tried to reassure her that the couple would get their money as soon as lawmakers pass a budget. 
  
 "And he tries to tell me it could be any day now," she said. "So I went online, and every article I read says they're not even close (to passing a budget). So don't give me that line. It could be months. You're collecting interest on our money that we should be collecting." 
  
 Rossi would not speculate on what effect the delays might have on the lottery's revenues if people choose to stop playing until the state resolves the budget crisis, and he was not aware of any effort to pass a special measure to allow the comptroller to pay out winnings while lawmakers and the governor haggle over the budget. 
  
 State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, has been a frequent critic of the state's handling of the lottery and said this is just another example. 
  
 "I sort of like the business model, because if we take the money in and never have to pay, how do we lose?" Franks said sarcastically. 
  
 "Our government is committing a fraud on the taxpayers, because we're holding ourselves out as selling a good, and we're not — we're not selling anything," Franks said. "The lottery is a contract: I pay my money, and if I win, you're obligated to pay me and you have to pay me timely. It doesn't say if you have money or when you have money." 
  
 Longtime lottery and gaming consultant Matthew Smith said Illinois lawmakers and lottery officials should have found a way to ensure winners were promptly paid regardless of whether there was a budget in place because failing to do so risks destroying consumer trust in the lottery. 
  
 "Any other brand that would come back and say, 'Well, we promised we would have this product, this service, and you will get it but we just can't tell you when' — any other brand that would do that to you, you would never use again," said Smith, vice chairman of Shapiro+Raj. "Is it going to affect their play? I think in the short term, if the state is able to find a way to get (winners) paid and paid quickly, and kind of puts this aside as a glitch, they can probably save things." 
  
 But if the delays stretch on indefinitely, Smith said, word will spread — especially if it affects people who play regularly. 
  
 "If that news just continues to go viral, and it goes back to their neighborhoods and people are talking about it, I think it could have an impact," Smith said. "And even if it affects sales by a percent or two, that's bad for the lottery." 
  
 Rick said she and Chasteen had to cancel their trip to see her daughter, which they planned to pay for out of Chasteen's lottery winnings. She said delays in payment will only discourage people from playing because it will seem like false hope that they will win. 
  
 "Who do you think buys lottery tickets most of the time?" Rick said. "Not millionaires. People who don't have a lot of money. You're messing with all those dreams." 
  
 mwalberg@tribpub.com 
  
 Twitter @mattwalberg1 ||||| Danny Chasteen and his girlfriend, Susan Rick, thought they had gotten their big break last month when Chasteen won $250,000 from the Illinois Lottery. Instead, they got an IOU. 
  
 Read MoreWhat to do if you win the Powerball 
  
  
  
 The Chicago Tribune reported that disbursements of Illinois Lottery winnings of more than $25,000 have been halted because the state doesn't have a budget. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?
– The first question for lottery winners is always, "What are you going to do with the cash?" The first question for Danny Chasteen and Susan Rick, who just won $250,000 in the Illinois lottery, is "When are you going to get the cash?" Not for the foreseeable future, apparently, since the state says it can't pay them just yet, reports CNBC. The reason: The Illinois state budget hasn't yet passed, so funds for lotto winners can't be released, tying lottery officials' hands, notes CNNMoney. A lottery rep tells CNN that those who win $600 or less can cash in at a retailer, while prizes worth $601 to $25,000 can be redeemed at state lottery centers. Cash awards worth more than $25,000? Halted for now. State Rep. Jack Franks says this is just another show of how mismanaged the Illinois lottery system is. "The lottery is a contract: I pay my money, and if I win, you're obligated to pay me and you have to pay me timely," he tells the Chicago Tribune. And Rick isn't comforted by the assurance she and Chasteen will eventually get paid. "If we owed the state money, they'd come take it and [not] care whether we have a roof over our head," she tells the Tribune. "You can't say [to the state], 'Can you wait until I get my budget under control?' (A man who found $20 in the street used it buy a $1 million winning lottery ticket.)
Efter år av ekonomisk kamp, Susan Rick trodde att saker och ting såg upp när hennes pojkvän vann $ 250.000 från Illinois Lottery förra månaden. Hon kunde sluta jobba sju dagar i veckan, kanske fixa till huset och åka till Minnesota för att besöka sin dotter. Men eftersom Illinois lagstiftare inte har passerat en budget fick hon och hennes pojkvän, Danny Chasteen, en IOU från lotteriet istället. »För första gången skulle vi äntligen få en paus», sade Rick, som bor i Oglesby. "Och nu har Illinois Lottery förstört allt." Enligt delstatslag måste den statliga comptroller skära ut checkarna för lotterivinster på mer än $25 000. Och lotteri tjänstemän sade att eftersom lagstiftare har ännu inte passera en budget, comptroller kontor inte har laglig befogenhet att frigöra medlen. Priser på $ 25,000 eller mindre kommer fortfarande att betalas på lotteri inmutning center över hela staten, och människor som vinner $ 600 eller mindre kan lösa in sin biljett på den plats där de köpte den. Men de större vinnarna? Av ren tur, för tillfället. Medan lotteri tjänstemän inte omedelbart kunde säga hur många vinnares betalningar försenades eller ge det totala beloppet av dessa utbetalningar, myndighetens webbplats listar flera pressmeddelanden för vinnare sedan det aktuella räkenskapsåret började 1 juli. Även Chasteen, dessa vinnare representerar miljontals dollar i priser. "Locket är en statlig byrå som många andra, och vi påverkas uppenbarligen av budgetsituationen," Illinois Lottery talesman Steve Rossi sade. "Eftersom den juridiska myndigheten inte finns där för comptrollern att betala ut betalningar, är dessa betalningar försenade." Det är ännu ett tecken på statens bekymmersamma ekonomi och brist på budget. 28 augusti, 2015. Det är ännu ett tecken på statens dåliga ekonomi och brist på budget. 28 augusti, 2015. (CBS Chicago) SE MER VIDEOS Medan Rossi sa att vinnare så småningom kommer att få sina pengar när en budget är på plats, löftet är kall komfort för Rick. "Vet du vad som är roligt? Om vi var skyldiga statspengarna, skulle de komma och ta dem och de bryr sig inte om vi har tak över huvudet," sade Rick. "Vår budget skulle inte vara en faktor. Du kan inte säga (till staten), "Kan du vänta tills jag får min budget under kontroll?" "Rick, 48, och Chasteen, 56, förväntade sig att pengarna skulle komma denna vecka efter att han lämnat in sin vinnande biljett 20 juli till lotteriet inmutningscenter i Rockford. Istället fick de ett telefonsamtal den här veckan från lotteritjänstemän som sa att betalningen skulle bli försenad på grund av budgetdöden. »Jag var liksom chockad», sade Chasteen. "Jag kallade tillbaka dem nästa dag (och) sade: 'Varför får jag inte mina pengar?' ... Det är fel att de gör så här. De borde betala pengarna vi är skyldiga." Rick sa att hon också talade med en annan lotteritjänsteman, som försökte försäkra henne om att paret skulle få sina pengar så fort lagstiftarna passerar en budget. »Och han försöker säga mig att det kan bli vilken dag som helst nu», sade hon. "Så jag gick online, och varje artikel jag läser säger att de inte ens är nära (att passera en budget). Så ge mig inte den repliken. Det kan ta månader. Du samlar ränta på våra pengar som vi borde samla in." Rossi skulle inte spekulera i vilken effekt förseningarna kan ha på lotteriets intäkter om folk väljer att sluta spela tills staten löser budgetkrisen, och han var inte medveten om någon ansträngning att klara en särskild åtgärd för att låta komptrollern betala ut vinster medan lagstiftare och guvernören pruta över budgeten. State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, har varit en frekvent kritiker av statens hantering av lotteriet och sade att detta är bara ett annat exempel. "Jag gillar affärsmodellen, för om vi tar in pengarna och aldrig behöver betala, hur förlorar vi?" Franks sa sarkastiskt. "Vår regering begår ett bedrägeri mot skattebetalarna, eftersom vi påstår oss sälja en vara, och det gör vi inte — vi säljer ingenting", sade Franks. "Locket är ett kontrakt: jag betalar mina pengar, och om jag vinner, är du skyldig att betala mig och du måste betala mig i tid. Det står inte om man har pengar eller när man har pengar." Länge lotteri och spel konsult Matthew Smith sade Illinois lagstiftare och lotteri tjänstemän bör ha hittat ett sätt att se till att vinnarna snabbt betalas oavsett om det fanns en budget på plats eftersom misslyckas med att göra det riskerar att förstöra konsumenternas förtroende för lotteriet. "Alla andra märken som skulle komma tillbaka och säga, 'Nåja, vi lovade att vi skulle ha denna produkt, denna tjänst, och du kommer att få det men vi kan bara inte berätta när' — något annat varumärke som skulle göra det mot dig, du skulle aldrig använda igen", sade Smith, vice ordförande i Shapiro+Raj. "Kommer det att påverka deras pjäs? Jag tror på kort sikt, om staten kan hitta ett sätt att få (vinnare) betalt och betalt snabbt, och liksom lägger detta åt sidan som ett fel, kan de förmodligen rädda saker." Men om förseningarna fortsätter på obestämd tid, sade Smith, kommer ryktet att sprida sig — i synnerhet om det påverkar människor som spelar regelbundet. "Om den nyheten bara fortsätter att bli viral, och den går tillbaka till deras kvarter och folk pratar om det, tror jag att det kan ha en inverkan," sade Smith. "Och även om det påverkar försäljningen med en procent eller två, det är dåligt för lotteriet." Rick sa att hon och Chasteen var tvungna att ställa in resan för att träffa sin dotter, som de planerade att betala för av Chasteens lotterivinster. Hon sade att förseningar i betalningen bara kommer att avskräcka människor från att spela eftersom det kommer att verka som falskt hopp att de kommer att vinna. "Vem tror du köper lotter för det mesta?" Rick sa det. "Inte miljonärer. Folk som inte har så mycket pengar. Du förstör alla drömmar." mwalberg@tribpub.com Twitter @mattwalberg1 @@ Danny Chasteen och hans flickvän, Susan Rick, trodde att de hade fått sitt stora genombrott förra månaden när Chasteen vann $ 250.000 från Illinois Lottery. Istället fick de en skuld. Läs merVad du kan göra om du vinner Powerball Chicago Tribune rapporterade att utbetalningar av Illinois Lottery vinster på mer än $ 25 000 har stoppats eftersom staten inte har en budget. Vad är en sammanfattning av ovanstående artikel?
After years of financial struggle, Susan Rick thought things looked up when her boyfriend won $250,000 from the Illinois Lottery last month. She could stop working seven days a week, maybe fix the house and go to Minnesota to visit her daughter. But since Illinois lawmakers have not passed a budget, she and her boyfriend, Danny Chasteen, received an IOU from the lottery instead. "For the first time we would finally get a break," said Rick, who lives in Oglesby. "And now Illinois Lottery has destroyed everything." Under state law, the state comptroller must cut out the checks for lottery wins of more than $25,000. And lottery officials said that because legislators have not yet passed a budget, comptroller offices do not have legal authority to release the funds. Prices of $25,000 or less will still be paid at lottery claim center across the state, and people who win $600 or less can redeem their ticket at the place where they purchased it. But the bigger winners? Lucky for now. While lottery officials could not immediately say how many winners' payments were delayed or give the total amount of these payouts, the agency's website lists several press releases for winners since the current financial year began July 1. Even Chasteen, these winners represent millions of dollars in prizes. "Locket is a government agency like many others, and we are obviously affected by the budget situation," Illinois Lottery spokesman Steve Rossi said. "Since the legal authority is not there for the comptroller to pay out payments, these payments are delayed." It is yet another sign of the state's troubled economy and a lack of budget. 28 August, 2015. It is yet another sign of the state's poor economy and a lack of budget. 28 August, 2015. (CBS Chicago) SEE MORE VIDEOS While Rossi said winners will eventually get their money when a budget is in place, the promise is cold comfort for Rick. "You know what's funny? If we owed the state money, they'd come and take it and they don't care if we have a roof over our heads," Rick said. "Our budget would not be a factor. You can't say (to the state), "Can you wait until I get my budget under control?" "Rick, 48, and Chasteen, 56, expected the money to come this week after he submitted his winning ticket July 20 to the lottery claim center in Rockford. Instead, they received a phone call this week from lottery officials who said payment would be delayed due to budget death. "I was kind of shocked," said Chasteen. "I called them back the next day (and) said: 'Why don't I get my money?' ... It's wrong for them to do this. They should pay the money we owe." Rick said she also spoke to another lottery official, who was trying to assure her that the couple would receive their money as soon as the legislators pass a budget. "And he's trying to tell me it could be any day now," she said. "So I went online, and every article I read says they're not even close (passing a budget). So don't give me that line. It could take months. You're collecting interest on our money that we should raise." Rossi would not speculate on the effect the delays could have on lottery revenue if people choose to stop playing until the state resolves the budget crisis, and he was not aware of any effort to pass a particular measure to allow the comptroller to pay out profits while legislators and governor bargain over the budget. State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, has been a frequent critic of the state's handling of the lottery and said this is just another example. "I like the business model, because if we bring in the money and never have to pay, how do we lose?" Franks said sarcastic. "Our government commits a fraud against taxpayers, because we claim to sell a commodity, and we don't — we sell nothing," said Franks. "Locket is a contract: I pay my money, and if I win, you owe me and you have to pay me on time. It doesn't say whether you have money or when you have money." Long lottery and gambling consultant Matthew Smith said Illinois lawmakers and lottery officials should have found a way to ensure that winners are quickly paid regardless of whether there was a budget in place because failing to do so risks destroying consumers' confidence in the lottery. "All the other brands that would come back and say, 'Well, we promised that we would have this product, this service, and you'll get it but we just can't tell you when' — any other brand that would do it to you, you'd never use again," said Smith, vice chairman of Shapiro+Raj. "Will it affect their play? I believe in the short term, if the state can find a way to get (winners) paid and paid quickly, and like putting this aside as an error, they can probably save things." But if delays continue indefinitely, Smith said, the rumor will spread — especially if it affects people who play regularly. "If that news just keeps going viral, and it goes back to their neighborhood and people talk about it, I think it might have an impact," Smith said. "And even if it affects sales by one percent or two, it's bad for the lottery." Rick said she and Chasteen had to cancel the trip to meet their daughter, whom they planned to pay for from Chasteen's lottery winnings. She said that delays in payment will only deter people from playing because it will seem like false hope that they will win. "Who do you think buys lottery tickets most of the time?" Rick told me. "Not millionaires. People who don't have much money. You're ruining all dreams." mwalberg@tribpub.com Twitter @mattwalberg1 <unk> Danny Chasteen and his girlfriend, Susan Rick, thought they had had their big breakthrough last month when Chasteen won $250,000 from the Illinois Lottery. Instead, they got a debt. Learn more What to do if you win the Powerball Chicago Tribune reported that payouts of Illinois Lottery wins of more than $25,000 have been stopped because the state does not have a budget. What is a summary of the above article?
– Den första frågan för lotteri vinnare är alltid, "Vad ska du göra med pengarna?" Den första frågan till Danny Chasteen och Susan Rick, som precis vunnit $ 250.000 i Illinois lotteri, är "När ska du få pengarna?" Inte inom överskådlig framtid, tydligen, eftersom staten säger att den inte kan betala dem ännu, rapporterar CNBC. Anledningen: Illinois statsbudget har ännu inte gått igenom, så medel för lotto vinnare kan inte släppas, binda lotteri tjänstemän händer, anteckningar CNNMoney. En lotteri rep berättar CNN att de som vinner $ 600 eller mindre kan tjäna pengar på en återförsäljare, medan priser värda $ 601 till $ 25,000 kan lösas in på statliga lotteri centra. Kontantpriser värda mer än 25000 dollar? Stoppad för tillfället. Jack Franks säger att det bara är ännu en show om hur misskött Illinois lotterisystem är. "Locket är ett kontrakt: jag betalar mina pengar, och om jag vinner, är du skyldig att betala mig och du måste betala mig i rätt tid", säger han till Chicago Tribune. Rick blir inte tröstad av att hon och Chasteen får betalt. "Om vi var skyldiga statspengarna skulle de komma och ta dem och [inte] bry sig om vi har tak över huvudet", säger hon till Tribunen. »Du kan inte säga [till staten]: 'Kan du vänta tills jag får min budget under kontroll?' (En man som hittade $20 på gatan använde den köpa en $ 1 miljon vinnande lott.)
“The first question for lottery winners is always, “What are you going to do with the money?” The first question to Danny Chasteen and Susan Rick, who just won $250,000 in the Illinois lottery, is "When are you going to get the money?" Not in the foreseeable future, apparently, because the state says it cannot pay them yet, reports CNBC. The reason: Illinois state budget has not yet gone through, so funds for lottery winners cannot be released, tying lottery officials hands, notes CNNMoney. A lottery rope tells CNN that those who win $600 or less can earn money at a dealer, while prizes worth $601 to $25,000 can be redeemed at state lottery centers. Cash prices worth more than $25,000? Stopped for now. Jack Franks says it's just another show about how mismanaged Illinois' lottery system is. "Locket is a contract: I pay my money, and if I win, you owe me and you have to pay me at the right time," he says to the Chicago Tribune. Rick is not comforted by the fact that she and Chasteen are being paid. "If we owed the state money, they would come and take it and [don't] care if we have a roof over our heads," she tells the Tribune. "You can't say [to the state], 'Can you wait until I get my budget under control?' (A man who found $20 on the street used it to buy a $1 million winning ticket.)