Plenty of sunshine and still pleasant. .

A moonlit sky again but this time a bit muggier.

All Checks Cashed in Everett, Mass., is seen, April 21, 2022. All Checks Cashed is one of nearly 150 businesses licensed by the state of Massachusetts to cash checks and sell lottery tickets. Check cashers sold nearly $36 million in lottery products from 2017 through 2020.

All Checks Cashed in Everett, Mass., is seen, April 21, 2022. All Checks Cashed is one of nearly 150 businesses licensed by the state of Massachusetts to cash checks and sell lottery tickets. Check cashers sold nearly $36 million in lottery products from 2017 through 2020.

At All Checks Cashed in Everett, Massachusetts, a red neon sign beckons customers to cash their checks, pay utilities and try their luck with scores of lottery tickets.

Glittering, multicolored scratch tickets on a wall behind the cashier’s station tempt customers — most without a traditional bank account — ready to pay steep fees to quickly get cash and maybe then try their hand at winning millions.

All Checks Cashed is one of nearly 150 businesses in Massachusetts currently licensed by the state Division of Banks to cash checks for a range of fees. Check cashers collectively sold nearly $36 million in lottery products across the state from 2017 through 2020, according to state records.

Dozens of other Massachusetts businesses not licensed as check cashers but with names strongly suggesting they offer check-cashing services — such as Alltown Check Cashing in Quincy and Plaisance Check Cashing in Dorchester — sold more than $7 million in lottery products during the same time period, state records show.

Licensed check cashers are frequently located in low-income Hispanic communities where most residents have a high school diploma or less, U.S. Census data shows. The businesses have long been criticized for preying on the poor and those lacking access to traditional financial services.

Check casher lottery sales are a small fraction of the billions generated each year in Massachusetts through ticket purchases. But in a state where six out of every 10 people play the lottery, an alluring mix of quick cash and lottery games poses a dangerous financial risk for customers, said former Massachusetts Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan.

Lotteries are nothing more than “government-sponsored gambling,” Sullivan said.

Since its establishment in 1971, the Massachusetts lottery has generated $137 billion in revenue and awarded over $96 billion in prizes, state records show. To draw customers, the state Lottery Commission says 72% of lottery revenue goes to prize payouts.

Massachusetts residents pay more per capita on lottery tickets than individuals in any other state, according to a study conducted in 2017 by LendEDU.

“Check-cashing stores are the quintessential example of a magnet to low-income people … people who are on their last dollars and they need money now to pay the rent, buy food,” said Sullivan, now director of research at the Pioneer Institute, a nonprofit government accountability organization in Boston. “They are at the end of the financial line.”

Mimi Turchinetz, assistant deputy director of the Boston Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment, labeled the lottery a “rabbit hole” for low- and moderate-income citizens.

“People participate in the lottery with stars in their eyes and hope that it’ll make them rich when they’re spending their hard-earned money,” Turchinetz said. “The chances of hitting the lottery are probably smaller than the chances of getting hit by lightning.”

In 1997, Massachusetts legislators proposed but failed to pass legislation that would ban Keno at check-cashing stores. That same year, a study by the Division of Banks showed individuals using check-cashing services paid considerably more in fees than those who used traditional banks.

The bill’s sponsor, former Democratic state Rep. Michael W. Morrissey, said allowing the highly addictive Keno games at those locations heightened the financial risks for the state’s poorer residents using check cashers.

“My belief was that people who were using check-cashing services may have been people who didn’t have access to banking services or might be members of the immigrant community,” said Morrissey, now the Norfolk County district attorney. “It didn’t make sense to me to make it that readily available.”

Keno, first authorized for play in Massachusetts in 1993, has emerged as a lucrative lottery product. From 2017 through 2020, Massachusetts Keno winners reaped over $553 million in prizes, state records show.

State law requires that check cashers obtain a license to operate from the Division of 2017 Keno claimsBanks. The licensees must renew their license each year.

Eight check-cashing store owners and managers contacted for this story declined to speak with reporters about their lottery ticket sales.

Some businesses cashing checks and selling lottery products have been sanctioned in recent years for operating illegally.

Mayfair Foods Inc., in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, sold almost $283,000 in lottery products in 2017, sales data shows. The Division of Banks issued a cease-and-desist order in September 2017 to Mayfair Foods Inc. for cashing customer checks without a license, state records show.

In March 2020, the Division of Banks issued a cease-and-desist order to Low Price Convenience Store in Fall River for operating without a check-cashing license, state records show. The store sold $1.7 million in lottery products in 2020, lottery sales records show.

For some who frequent licensed check-cashing stores, the gamble is worth it. At All Checks Cashed in Everett, one customer recalled spending her last few dollars during the 2004 Christmas season on the lottery — only to score a rare $250,000 win.

“I had $15, and I said, ‘I’m going to put $10 in gas,’” said Yessie, a middle-aged Hispanic mother who declined to give her last name. She’d go on to spend the remaining $5 on two Mega Millions tickets purchased at a Lawrence gas station. “I was almost broke.”

While Yessie won big, that is not the case for most who gamble with the lottery.

Turchinetz called the lottery and check-cashing services financial “extractors” that undermine people’s wealth. However, she said the lottery is a game, and buyers can make their own decisions when it comes to spending their income.

“People are adults,” Turchinetz said. “They know what they’re participating in, and so it’s patronizing to suggest that you should remove them.”

Sullivan said lottery officials and lawmakers need to revisit the ability of check-cashing stores to sell lottery products, including reviewing effects on low-income buyers.

“If it’s not being counted, it’s not being noticed,” Sullivan said. “I think if that is put right in the face of legislators, they could try to take action to ameliorate it.”

This story was produced by students in Boston University Professor Maggie Mulvihill’s Data Journalism class in collaboration with The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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· Air Products and Chemicals Inc.'s chosen warehouse developer, Prologis Inc., will have to wait until July 13 for a final decision by Upper Macungie Township's zoning hearing board on 2.61 million square feet of warehouses. 

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· Wells Fargo Bank held ribbon-cutting at its downtown Allentown branch at 740 Hamilton St.

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· Bad Biscuit Company, which offered breakfast with scratch-made biscuits, freshly baked pastry and local, small-batch artisan coffee, said it will cease operations at 16 Columbia Ave. in Reading after its July 1 hours.

· FastBridge Fiber has announced it will build an all-fiber cable network that will offer ultra-fast internet in the Reading area.

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· Wells Fargo has closed its branch office in Langhorne, near the intersection with Maple Avenue.

· The latest PrimoHoagies location in New Jersey held a grand opening at 1930 State Route 57, Hackettstown.

· A new Tractor Supply Co. store in Warren County will have its grand opening in the former Toys 'R' Us store in Pohatcong Plaza on July 9.

· Hunter Pocono Peterbilt plans to move Pocono Township operations to Stroudsburg.

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· The Mint Gastropub at 1223 W. Broad St., Bethlehem, announced that it has temporarily closed to undergo a merger with a "well-known restaurant group" from Bethlehem.

· The Slatington Farmers Market opened its 28,000-square-foot showroom, which includes space for 53 vendors, as well as a 4,000-square-foot event space.

· St. Luke's University Health Network opened a new pediatric inpatient unit next to the eight-bed pediatric intensive care unit at St. Luke's University Hospital – Bethlehem.

· 25th Asian House opened at the location of the former Tin Tin Chinese restaurant in the 25th Street Shopping Center in Palmer Township.

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· Terrain on the Parkway offers 160 new 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments at 1625 Lehigh Parkway East in Allentown. 

· Lehigh Valley native Don Wenner is moving his real estate investment and finance firm DLP Capital from Bethlehem to Allentown at 835 W. Hamilton St.

· While Wells Fargo has been the leader in closing banks lately, it will hold a ribbon-cutting for its new downtown Allentown office at 740 Hamilton St. on June 30.

· If you're in the market for sterling silver jewelry, minerals and semi-precious gemstones, C& I Minerals is now operating at the South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St. in Allentown.

· The Allentown-based utility company PPL Corp. bought a major Rhode Island utility.

· Ownership at Martellucci's Pizzeria in Bethlehem has changed, but Paul and Donna Hlavinka and their family are running the pizza place at 1419 Easton Ave., just as it has been operated for 49 years. 

· Dr. Jacob Kasprenski's new Kasprenski Family Eye Care opened at 1088 Howertown Road, Catasauqua.

· Josie's New York Deli in downtown Easton closed early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but a June 13 Historic District Commission meeting approved a request for a new sign at its building at 14 Centre Square. 

· Zekraft cafe has opened its second location in the Easton Silk Mill in Easton. The first Zekraft restaurant was opened in Bethlehem. The restaurants' menus change frequently, with a focus on local ingredients. 

· Manta Massage at 319 Main St., Emmaus, will hold its grand opening on July 10 starting at 11 a.m. 

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· Lehigh Valley Health Network ceremonially opened its first Carbon County hospital — a $78 million, 100,578-square-foot facility at 2128 Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Mahoning Township.

· Pocono Township commissioners voted to accept Swiftwater Solar's preliminary final plan for the $111 million, 80-megawatt field on a private 644-acre site on top of Bear Mountain that would include about 200,000 solar panels.

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· A Dunkin' in Schuylkill County located at 400 Terry Rich Blvd., St. Clair, has become just the fourth location of the donut and coffee chain to go entirely digital. 

· The Conservatory music school in Bucks County will close after 34 years, and school officials say the COVID-19 pandemic is the cause. The nonprofit, located at 4059 Skyron Drive, Doylestown, will close June 30.

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· Honeygrow opens Quakertown location, next to Chipotle on Route 309, on June 3.

· Dunkin' reopens remodeled restaurant at 1174 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township

· Muse Modern Med Spa at 325 Fifth St. in Whitehall Township  will hold a grand opening June 4.

· Around Again, a consignment store, opened at 154 S. Main St., Phillipsburg

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· Take It Outdoors Recreation Hub has moved to a spot along the Schuylkill River Trail at Riverfront Park in Pottstown, Montgomery County

· Pedego Electric Bikes has a new outlet in Lambertville, N.J. at 13 N. Union St.

· Amanda Vachris has opened a new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St. in Schuylkill Haven.

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· Ma's Crepes and Cakes will hold a grand opening and ribbon-cutting June 16 at 46 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe. The celebration starts at 5 p.m., with the ribbon cutting at 5:45 p.m. 

· Bethlehem's Back Door Bakeshop will reopen as a wholesale operation at 7 E. Church St. in the city's historic district. The business was open for nine years as a retail outlet at Broad and Center streets, before announcing in March that it would close the storefront April 3 and "go back to its origins as a wholesale business."

·The Beef Baron on Catasauqua Road in Bethlehem is closed indefinitely for renovations

· The Brothers That Just Do Gutters are opening a new location in Allentown at 1302 N. 18th St.

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· Easton Commons, a shopping center anchored by Giant Foods at 2920 Easton Ave., Bethlehem Township, has a new name: The Shops at Bethlehem.

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· Il Gaetano Ristorante opened at its 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg, location. 

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· Rene and Grisellies Benique have opened Ezekiel 47 Cafe at 10 S. Fifth Ave., off Fifth and Penn avenues, in West Reading. 

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· Origen Latin Fusion has opened at the site of the former Tomcat Cafe in Sinking Spring, Berks County. 

· Sellersville Senior Residences will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 24. The Bucks County affordable-housing community for adults 55 and older has 50 apartments, with eight allocated for people with behavioral health needs.

· The House and Barn in Emmaus has opened its Shed outdoor dining and cigar bar area. The House and Barn is at 1449 Chestnut St. in Emmaus.

· Realtor Amanda Vachris and the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting at Vachris's new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St., Schuylkill Haven, at 4 p.m. on May 24.

· Il Gaetano Ristorante will hold a grand opening on Friday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. The 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg.

· First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union will hold a grand opening at its new headquarters in Trexlertown, 6126 Hamilton Blvd., on May 18.

· Vinyl Press Signs & Graphics has relocated within Emmaus. The new site is 15 S. Second St., not far from the former Sixth Street location.

· Pedro's Cafe in Emmaus to close

· SV Sports (formerly Schuylkill Valley Sports) to close Quakertown location

· Flemington DIY will host a Grand Re-Opening on May 14 at 26 Stangl Road, Flemington. The celebration will kick off at 10 a.m. 

· Elpedio’s Ristorante at Seipsville opened at 2912 Old Nazareth Road in Easton. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday.

· Uai Brazil opened at 315 Lehigh Ave, Palmerton, offering both a seated or buffet option. 

· Colombian Mex Restaurant opened at 107 E Union Blvd in Bethlehem, offering traditional Colombian cuisine. 

· Precision Ink opened at 161 W Berwick St. in Easton. 

· King Wing opened a location in Bethlehem at 129 E. Third St., serving wings and sandwiches.  

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