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California Lottery settles lawsuits with two former security staffNews Story
Employees were fired for questioning two jackpot payouts The California State Lottery has paid more than $500,000 to settle lawsuits filed by two former investigators who claimed they were fired for calling attention to jackpots they believed the lottery improperly awarded to recipients who could not prove they were winners. The two ousted lottery cops had flagged a $2 million jackpot in 2015 and a $750,000 prize in 2016 that they argued should not have been paid. It was a travesty the
Oct 9, 2018, 9:25 am - Lottery News

Last defendant in large Jamaican lottery scam convictedNews Story
A federal jury in North Dakota on Friday convicted a Rhode Island woman of helping scam elderly Americans out of millions of dollars, capping a large-scale Jamaican lottery scam case that authorities have been investigating and prosecuting for six years. Jurors found Melinda Bulgin, 28, guilty of 15 counts of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering, after 3 1/2 hours of deliberations over two days. Defense attorney Kevin Chapman said he likely will appeal. The Providence woman was the last
Sep 15, 2018, 8:36 pm - Lottery News

Last defendant in Jamaican lottery scam case going to trialNews Story
A Rhode Island woman accused of funneling lottery scam money between the U.S. and Jamaica through her airline job goes on trial in federal court in North Dakota this week. She is the last of 27 defendants in the case that began seven years ago this month. Here's a look at the case and the upcoming trial of Melinda Bulgin, which is expected to last up to 10 days. Why is this case a big deal? The Federal Trade Commission estimates that lottery scams could be a billion-dollar-a-year industry
Sep 10, 2018, 10:36 pm - Lottery News

CT Lottery official disciplined for botched raffle draw claims lottery has vendetta against himNews Story
The Connecticut Lottery Corp. opened 2018 with a million dollar blunder at a Jan. 1 drawing, and months of controversy followed. But that seemed to die down as the agency recently reported a record $345 million in revenue on $1.2 billion in annual ticket sales, and took a step toward normality last month by hiring Gregory Smith, the acting Illinois lottery chief, to fill its long-vacant CEO position. However, the surface calm is deceiving. There's still big trouble. It comes in the form of
Aug 5, 2018, 8:25 am - Lottery News

Memo: Iowa Lottery kept selling games after security warningNews Story
A newly unsealed memo shows the Iowa Lottery kept marketing four popular games despite an August 2015 warning from its security chief that their integrity was compromised. The memo was written following the trial of Eddie Tipton, who was convicted of rigging a Hot Lotto jackpot worth $16 million. Steve Bogle, its vice president of security, recommended that the lottery immediately suspend sales of Hot Lotto, Pick 3, Pick 4, and All or Nothing. He told CEO Terry Rich, we cannot allow the ci
Aug 1, 2018, 2:27 pm - Lottery News

California Lottery issues new rules for retailers after rash of theftsNews Story
Includes video report A rash of thefts of California Lottery tickets in San Jose prompted the state this week to roll out a new system aimed at preventing store owners from paying out purloined scratchers. The new system forbids a practice that had allowed retailers to begin selling tickets before they confirmed that they received their full order of scratchers. A thief or thieves exploited that practice by stealing packages of scratchers en route to retail outlets, according to a June
Jun 22, 2018, 1:00 pm - Lottery News

Better Business Bureau releases study on sweepstakes, lottery and prize scamsNews Story
A new report by the Better Business Bureau says sweepstakes, lottery and prize scams are using ever-changing methods to hurt victims financially and emotionally. The frauds concentrate on seniors, targeting them by direct mail, cold calling, social media, text messages and smartphone pop-ups. BBB warns consumers to be on guard against the serious frauds and their perpetrators. The report Sweepstakes, Lottery and Prize Scams: A Better Business Bureau Study of How 'Winners' Lose Millions
Jun 18, 2018, 8:02 am - Lottery News

Sweepstakes, lottery scams cost Americans more than $111 million in 2017News Story
A new study reveals sweepstakes, lottery and prize-related scams cost Americans millions of dollars each year. The Better Business Bureau calls these schemes some of the most serious and pervasive frauds operating today. In the past three years, the group says more than 460,000 Americans have reported losing a total of over $330 million to such scams. The Better Business Bureau says these crooks are professionals. They might take advantage of someone in your family, and they can be very c
Jun 5, 2018, 3:45 pm - Lottery News

NY credit union chief accused of embezzling money from fund, spending $3.55M on lottery ticketsNews Story
The head of the city's oldest credit union embezzled money from the fund for years splurging on millions worth of lottery tickets by submitting bogus invoices for dental work and other expenses, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Kam Wong, 62, from Valley Stream, L.I., who heads the Municipal Credit Union, allegedly used the ill-gotten gains to purchase some $3.55 million in New York State lottery tickets, according to Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman. He also obtained numerous other
May 8, 2018, 9:06 pm - Lottery News

The man who cracked the lotteryNews Story
Crime story: A recounting of the biggest lottery scandal in history The file landed on Rob Sand's desk with something less than a thud. Despite holding the contents of an investigation still open after more than two years, the file was barely half an inch thick. Happy birthday, his boss said. It was not Rob Sand's birthday. His boss, an Iowa deputy attorney general named Thomas H. Miller, was retiring in July 2014 after nearly three decades of prosecuting everything from murder to fraud. H
May 3, 2018, 2:49 pm - Lottery News