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South Dakota woman claims record Dakota Cash lottery jackpotNews Story
Lynda Blesi's patience was a virtue as her years of buying Dakota Cash lottery tickets paid off in a big way. Blesi is now the Dakota Cash game's top winner after claiming her $614,181 jackpot Tuesday. The $614,181 prize is the largest in the game's history since its launch in 1994. Blesi, who is retired and lives in Sioux Falls with her husband, Pete, followed her usual routine to win the record-breaking jackpot. She purchased the ticket at the Hy-Vee Gas on Louise Avenue in Sioux Falls w
Sep 20, 2017, 8:23 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

The 5 lottery jackpots Tipton and his friends stoleNews Story
Eddie Tipton, the now-infamous former security chief at the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), is accused of installing software on Random Number Generators that allowed him to predict winning combinations for drawings that occurred on three dates every non-leap year Nov. 23, Dec. 29 and May 27. So far, Tipton and his associates have been linked to winning tickets in five states between 2005 and 2011. Here are the details: Colorado, Nov. 23, 2005: Tipton's brother Tommy Tipton, a Tex
Jun 20, 2017, 8:01 am - Lottery News

South Carolina man wins two $100,000 Powerball lottery prizesNews Story
Within a 48-hour time span a Little River, South Carolina, man realized he had won the lottery, twice. South Carolina Lottery officials say the man realized he had a winning ticket Monday night when he checked his numbers. That ticket was worth $100,000. The next morning, he checked a separate Powerball ticket and discovered it too was worth $100,000. The Little River resident, who was not identified by the South Carolina Lottery, purchased both tickets at the Food Lion on Highway 9 in Lon
Jun 14, 2017, 2:38 pm - Lottery News

Texas man pleads guilty to fraud in lottery scandal caseNews Story
A Texas businessman has pleaded guilty to fraud and admitted to helping lottery computer technician Eddie Tipton cash jackpots in a multi-state number-fixing scheme that netted $2 million. Robert Rhodes pleaded guilty in a Des Moines courtroom Monday. Iowa prosecutors will seek two years of probation. Rhodes says he helped Tipton try to cash a $16.5 million 2010 Iowa Hot Lotto ticket but suspicious officials never paid. Rhodes agreed to testify against Tipton and his brother, Tommy Tipt
Jan 11, 2017, 4:18 pm - Lottery News

Wyoming Lottery adds multi-state Lucky for Life gameNews Story
The Wyoming Lottery players now have a new game to test their luck. WyoLotto officials on Monday celebrated the launch of the Lucky for Life game. The lottery began selling tickets for the new game on Sunday. Lucky for Life is a national game, which costs $2 per ticket. The top prize is $1,000 a day for life. Lucky for Life also offers players the opportunity to win $25,000 a year for life and smaller prize options. The game is currently offered in 23 jurisdictions, including Arkansa
Dec 5, 2016, 6:12 pm - Lottery News

Alleged Jamaican lottery scam kingpin arrested in KingstonNews Story
A man accused of spearheading a lottery scam that bilked at least 70 mostly elderly U.S. residents out of millions of dollars has been arrested in Jamaica, authorities said Monday. Lavrick Willocks, 27, was taken into custody Saturday after he was found hiding in a garden at a Kingston hotel, according to a news release from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and a woman who tried to help him escape also was arrested. Willocks faces numerous charges in U.S. federal court, including conspiracy
Nov 8, 2016, 8:11 am - Lottery News

Eddie Tipton's new trial delayed until 2017News Story
The second trial for a former lottery official accused of fixing jackpots in five states will be postponed until next year. An Iowa prosecutor and Eddie Tipton's attorney told a judge Wednesday they've agreed to a Feb. 13 trial date. The judge hasn't yet set a location for the trial. The former information security director for the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) was convicted last year of fraud for attempting to rig a 2010 Iowa Hot Lotto drawing. He's appealing. After his convic
Jul 1, 2016, 9:53 am - Lottery News

Lottery rigging trial to be moved out of Des MoinesNews Story
New venue to be determined later A new felony trial for a former Iowa lottery security official already convicted of scheming to win a $16.5 million jackpot will be moved out of Des Moines, a judge has ruled. Eddie Tipton, formerly an information security director for the Multi-State Lottery Association, was convicted last year of two fraud counts stemming from an attempt to rig a 2010 Hot Lotto drawing and claim the winning ticket purchased at a Des Moines QuikTrip. After his convictio
Jun 27, 2016, 2:19 pm - Lottery News

US Senate panel demands info in lottery scandalNews Story
A U.S. Senate oversight panel demanded Wednesday to know how state lotteries are increasing their security measures after an insider allegedly rigged jackpots for years to enrich himself and associates. Sen. John Thune, chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said the allegations of fraud in lottery games offered for sale around the country raise serious concerns. Yet he said it's not clear what the Multi-State Lottery Association, an Iowa-based nonprofit that admin
Jun 22, 2016, 7:21 pm - Lottery News