Camelot lottery bid extended as Corbett considers appealing rejection of Pa. deal

The bid to take over the Pennsylvania Lottery has been extended through mid-March, giving the Corbett administration the full 30 days it is allotted to challenge the state attorney general’s rejection of the privatization deal.

Extensions of the bid by British firm Camelot Global Services have come in dribs and drabs since the deal first began to hit opposition late last year.

This latest extension is for more than three weeks, and ends two days later than the deadline for the Corbett administration to decide whether it will appeal Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s rejection of the contract to turn lottery operations over to Camelot.

The two consulting groups working for the administration on the deal aren’t collecting money as the bid is prolonged, according to Elizabeth Brassell, a spokeswoman for the state Revenue Department.

“Neither of the commonwealth’s advisers has received compensation. Their compensation depends on whether or not a (professional management agreement) is executed,” she said Friday. “So there’s not really any hard costs with extending the bid.”

Camelot has already gotten back the $50 million security deposit binding it to the deal.

Kane struck down the contract last week, calling it illegal and unconstitutional.

Several state lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, have said they support Kane’s decision, since the privatization effort would expand lottery games without legislative oversight.