Lets put it this way...this guy has more headaches by winning the lottery...i hope he is not spending it before he is sure it is his to spend..as we all know he is fighting the state of massachusetts...and the state very rarely loses!  Im betting that the state is going to say that he knew about his gambling restrictions and there-for he shouldnt be entitled to the winnings!!!!!!  Personally the only one whos coming out ahead of this mess is the lawyers at $300 per hour...Sad who the real criminals are....that is the justice system!!!

He should be able to keep his winnings but he should be punished for violating his parole. 

Brad

You know what the strangest  thing about this whole story/case is?

The very crime that he did was purchase something that the state aided in, in otherwords

Most crimes dont usually involve the state selling the very thing that causes a person to be labeled a criminal. He bought it from the State. Someone who buys drugs in otherwords buys it from an illegal drug dealer.

In this situation the drugs dealers were the State themselves selling the drugs(the ticket) But its legal for them to sell.

The state sold the drugs to him and now they want topunish him for what they sold him. They're prosecuting him for what they sold him.

Thats just sort of strange, if you look at it in that way! 

The winner of a $1 million lottery scratch ticket may not be so lucky after all:  He's a convicted bank robber who isn't supposed to gamble. We'll maybe the state shouldnt be selling something the drug in the first place.

Maybe the money should go to help people addicted in what they sell. I love the way the state gets away with selling "addictions" under the guise of "entertainment" I think all forms of gamgling should be a violation for the guy unless the very state that has him on probabtion sells it to him! He got the ticket from them not some illegal place down the road operating illegally. He got the stickin ticket from the STATE!  

Just sayin!

Just sayin why criminalize your customer! Thats all he really was,just  a customer of something you legally sell.

Its not like he went and robbed a bank or something!! geesh!

When you are released from prison they set the rules by which you can live by until you are off of probation.

One of the things he was told was.

Under terms of his probation, he "may not gamble, purchase lottery tickets or visit an establishment where gaming is conducted, including restaurants where Keno may be played."

While buying a lottery ticket isn't a criminal offense for most citizens he violated his probation when he tried to cash a wining ticket.

There is a truth in the old song

I fought the Law and the, Law won!

 Yet I think all people should be able to buy a ticket if the state is selling!

The probation rules should say,"You can only buy lottery tickets and scratcher games from a state run office or retailer or legal state market, and only from the state! If you are found gambling "illegally" outside of buying from the state, it is a violation of your probation.

But that State criminalizing the public on probation is criminalizing itself!

Nanolike writes:  "Most crimes dont usually involve the state selling the very thing that causes a person to be labeled a criminal. He bought it from the State. Someone who buys drugs in otherwords buys it from an illegal drug dealer."

I guess you aren't familiar with all the alcohol related traffic deaths, rapes and murders. Buying alcohol is legal.  It's also legal to buy a gun.  We get our driver's licenses from the State and then people go out and kill someone by running a red light or driving recklessly. 

I see where you are going with this and agree that buying lottery tickets can be very addictive and not just a form of entertainment for many of us.  However, I also believe you are looking at this in the wrong light. 

Let's use the example of the person who has several DUIs and has served some time in jail.  One condition of his probation is that he can't drink. He can't go to a bar or liquor store and buy alcohol. If he does, he is violating the terms of his probation.  This man was ordered not to gamble, including buying lottery tickets.

So, let's say I go into a restaurant and ask for a glass of wine with my grilled salmon.  I'm over 50 so the server isn't going to ask me for identification. He doesn't need to know if I'm allergic to fish or on probation for DUI.  It's not his job. So unless all the lottery retailers have to ask for ID and check our criminal backgrounds, it's not up to the State to monitor our lottery purchases. However, it is up to us to act responsibly. If someone has a psychiatric disorder, then perhaps he needs someone to handle his money.

Being a lottery player, my first reaction was "give him the darn money" but if he robbed a bank, he is a criminal and must obey the terms of his release.  If he is mentally ill, then maybe the money can be used to help him and others with gambling problems.  However, we can't just keep making excuses for people who commit crimes.   

                 dummy

               that's all i have too say

Here's the latest.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/12/08/lottery_hopes_to_pay_winnings_to_ex_convict/

>"We would like to see him get his money," Dan Rosenfeld, a spokesman for the lottery, said yesterday. "What we are talking about is the integrity of the game. He played the game. He won the game. The integrity of the game is very important to us. That's our business."

 This is a good point. From a sales perspective, the lottery can't afford to have people pass up the lottery because they think the state is going to grab their winnings if they've had a questionable past and it is now "state policy" to go for winnings confiscation.  It doesn't matter if it's actually true or not if the perception is there. People get paranoid and stop playing, other people  get angry and stop playing. It doesn't win the lottery new customers, that's for sure.