Lottery firm says its 'most-prized' secrets have been taken

ATLANTA (AP) - A company that works with more than 40 state lotteries in the U.S. and several overseas says in court filings that a key executive orchestrated a "massive theft" of its most-prized secrets before he resigned to accept a position with a rival company.

Scientific Games International Inc. is asking a federal judge to prevent the information from being used outside the company in the multibillion-dollar lottery industry.

The company, with offices in Alpharetta, Georgia, filed the civil lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Georgia. It says a former vice president, Brian Keith Cash, downloaded thousands of computer files around the time he accepted a position with International Game Technology at its Lakeland, Florida office.

Cash didn't immediately return a phone message left at his home on Friday.