British company drops bid on lottery

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A British company has dropped out of the bidding to become the first private manager of Indiana's lottery, saying the state's process encourages bidders to propose artificially high revenue targets.

Camelot Global Services runs the national lottery in the United Kingdom and is among four firms that had submitted information to Hoosier Lottery officials for background checks in anticipation of submitting private management proposals.

Camelot spokeswoman Laura Pearson says that the Indiana process won't allow the operator to maximize returns in a responsible way.

Lottery spokesman Al Larsen says the agency disagrees with Camelot's conclusions.

Lottery officials haven't released information about formal proposals from bidders that were due last week.