For the third year in a row, the company hired to run the state's lottery has failed to generate the profits it promised to the state. That's even though the company's parent corporation continues to be paid more in fees for games and services. The "Chicago Tribune" reports Northstar Lottery Group posted a net profit of 738-million-dollars, nearly 250-million-dollars less than it pledged for the fiscal year that just ended, and less than it generated in either of the past two years. The company is supposed to pay the state for the shortfalls, but has yet to do that because previous years' results haven't been audited.
