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Winner sues Colorado Lottery 12 years after rigged drawingNews Story
A decade after Colorado engineer Amir Massihzadeh hit the lottery, two state agents visited him with stunning news: He was likely the only legitimate winner of a $4.8 million jackpot he'd had to split three ways. They told the Boulder resident that the other two people who had won the 2005 drawing were linked to a conspiracy in which a lottery insider and several cohorts had rigged drawings in several states. Now Massihzadeh, 62, is suing for the rest of the winnings that he feels should have
Oct 5, 2017, 6:57 pm - Lottery News

2 more Jamaican lottery scam suspects brought to USNews Story
All of the 13 suspects arrested in what authorities believe is the first large-scale Jamaican lottery scam to be prosecuted in the U.S. have now entered pleas in federal court, with more than one-third of them admitting guilt or scheduled to do so. Authorities say the scam bilked at least 90 mostly elderly Americans out of more than $5.7 million. Two suspects who had been awaiting extradition in Jamaica were brought to the U.S. earlier this month and entered not guilty pleas in federal court
Sep 20, 2017, 9:42 am - Lottery News

Lottery rigging mastermind sentenced to 25 years in prisonNews Story
A former lottery security chief was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday for rigging the computerized lottery drawings in several states so he could collect the jackpots. Eddie Tipton, former security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), received the maximum sentence from an Iowa judge, who mentioned Tipton's greed in his sentencing. I certainly regret my actions, Tipton told the court. It's difficult even saying that with all the people that I know behind me that
Aug 22, 2017, 4:49 pm - Lottery News

Hot Lotto multi-state lottery game to end in OctoberNews Story
By Todd Northrop Hot Lotto, a multi-state lottery draw game currently played in 14 states, will end this October. The final Hot Lotto drawing will be conducted on Saturday, Oct. 28. It is normal practice in the lottery industry to change your gaming mix and keep products fresh in the field. Based on overall performance after 15 years, it was time to make a change, West Virginia Lottery Director Alan Larrick said. The 14 lotteries that offer Hot Lotto are working on new game options that w
Aug 9, 2017, 8:15 am - Lottery News

Jamaican lottery scam ringleader pleads guiltyNews Story
A Jamaican man accused of masterminding a lottery scam that defrauded dozens of mostly elderly Americans out of millions of dollars has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, and a federal prosecutor says more defendants in the case might do the same. Lavrick Willocks, 28, reached an agreement with federal prosecutors in North Dakota earlier this month and appeared in court Thursday to enter his plea. Prosecutors dropped 65 other counts of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Willocks faces
Jul 28, 2017, 10:25 am - Lottery News

Lottery rigging accomplice used Wisconsin payout for offshore tax scamNews Story
After Robert Rhodes collected a Wisconsin Lottery jackpot that had been rigged by his friend Eddie Tipton, he used the windfall for an investment scheme that produced another wave of undeserved government money, court records show. Rhodes, an accomplice in a scandal that has shaken state lotteries, recently explained under oath how he used the $783,000 payout to receive an additional $180,000 in bogus tax refunds. The Texas businessman sent his lottery winnings offshore to buy a phony insuran
Jul 6, 2017, 6:53 pm - Lottery News

IT'S OFFICIAL: Tipton pleads guilty to rigging computerized lottery drawingsNews Story
The cyber security expert and brainpower behind a lottery rigging scandal that netted $2 million in illegal winnings from five state lotteries pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of ongoing criminal conduct charge. For the first time in an Iowa courtroom, Eddie Tipton admitted to playing a central role in the rigging scheme after more than two years of adamant denials in the face of mounting evidence against him. Pursuant a plea agreement, Tipton, 54, now faces spending up to 25 yea
Jun 29, 2017, 10:52 am - Lottery News

Iowa Lottery promises to work harder to stop cheatersNews Story
Iowa Lottery officials pledged Tuesday to tighten security of lottery tickets and bolster efforts to obtain restitution from persons convicted of lottery-related crimes. The officials detailed their plans at a meeting of the Iowa Lottery Board in Clive, where they responded to allegations that security problems persist in the state-run lottery because of a failure to fix weaknesses spotted years earlier. A recent investigation detailed cases of Iowa retail employees stealing lottery ticke
Jun 28, 2017, 8:26 am - Lottery News

Network of dummy online stores used to hide internet gambling paymentsNews Story
A network of dummy online stores offering household goods has been used as a front for internet gambling payments, according to a recent investigation. The seven sites, operated out of Europe, purport to sell items including fabric, DVD cases, maps, gift wrap, mechanical tape, pin badges and flags. In fact, they are fake outlets, part of a multinational system to disguise payments for the $40 billion global online gambling industry, which is illegal in many countries and some U.S. states.
Jun 26, 2017, 6:55 am - Lottery News

Lottery jackpot rigger's Iowa convictions dismissedNews Story
Has little practical impact on case The Iowa Supreme Court has dismissed the conviction of an Iowa man who just last week pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related with rigging lottery computers in order to win jackpots. The court issued a ruling Friday dismissing Eddie Tipton's conviction for tampering with lottery equipment. The ruling said the statute of limitations on one of the counts against him had expired and improper instructions given on the other count could have influe
Jun 23, 2017, 11:36 am - Lottery News