It's a small world

GTECH, the politically connected firm that Pennsylvania has chosen to run its slots computer system, was involved in a scandal in Texas when it ran that state's lottery system. The chair of the Texas Lottery Commission at the time was Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers:

The possibility of the Lottery Commission controversy being the subject of confirmation hearings is even more daunting for the White House. The story now is only being printed in alternative publications, such as the Dallas Observer of Oct. 13. These reports recalled the lawsuit brought by Lawrence Littwin alleging that Chairman Miers fired him as the Lottery Commission's executive director because he had uncovered corruption involving Gtech, the lottery management firm.

Littwin's federal suit claimed Miers protected Gtech because its lobbyist, former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes, as Texas House Speaker had pushed Bush ahead of other applicants for the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War. Democrat Barnes had been silent until a 1999 deposition by him said he had pushed Bush to the head of the line.

Interesting, no?