Pa. in discussions to extend lottery-bid deadline

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration says it’s in discussions with a British firm about extending a deadline to decide on the company’s bid on a 20- to 30-year contract to manage the Pennsylvania Lottery.

Department of Revenue spokeswoman Elizabeth Brassell said today that she couldn’t comment further on the discussions with Camelot Global Services. The bid was set to expire Dec. 31.

The firm runs the national lottery in the United Kingdom. It submitted the sole bid to manage the state’s $3.5 billion lottery system.

But top aides to the governor said Tuesday that he’d be willing to delay the deadline, if necessary, to answer questions about the contract proposal and to allow unionized employees time to offer a competitive alternative, which is guaranteed in their contract.