Is it luck or something else?
The Kentucky lottery sells hundreds of millions of dollars in scratch off lottery tickets each year. While it's difficult to "hit the big one," people beat the odds time and time again.
WHAS11's investigative reporter Adam Walser traveled the state, trying to discover how some people repeatedly get so lucky.
For thousands of Kentucky residents, playing the lottery is favorite pastime.
Sometimes players win big, but usually, the outcome is not so lucky.
The lottery in Kentucky is set up to give everyone an equal chance, but winning lottery tickets are finding their way into the same hands over and over.
Big scratch-off prize winners in Kentucky are defined as people who take home $600 or more.
WHAS11 obtained a list from the lottery contacting the names of people who won big prizes more than once during the past year.
The list is more than 2,900 names long, with some of the same names popping up over and over.
The town of Salyersville in Eastern Kentucky is perhaps the luckiest community in the state. During the past year, they've had a $500,000 winner in the lottery, a $125,000 winner and then, there's the Wheelers.
WHAS11 first spotted Lowell and Concheata Wheeler on the Kentucky Lottery's website, holding one big check after another.
In the past year, they've won more than $1,000 a total of 23 times,
Six times, the husband and wife both claimed $1,000 or more on the same day.
The Wheelers used to own a convenience store in the community of less than 1,600 residents. They admit playing the lottery at their store, but they say their big wins started coming in after they retired last year.
$136,000 so far in a year, but how?
"We play 3 or 4 days a week. Sometimes we'll play more. It's according to how we feel or whether we've got money to go spend on it or not," said Concheata.
Concheata says she usually buys 3 or 4 $20 tickets at a time.
Lowell says he'll sometimes play a new roll until he wins something. He also says he envisions winning numbers in his sleep.
Former employee takes Lottery to court
Keith Hunter used to be the staff attorney at the Kentucky Lottery.
Hunter is now representing thousands of lottery players in a lawsuit, claiming the lottery misrepresented potential prizes on two of its games.
"To repeatedly win like that, there seems to be some sort of issue that the lottery should investigate," said Hunter.
U of L mathematics Professor Patricia Cerrito agrees the Wheeler's winnings seem unusual.
"I imagine they're counting... Counting rolls, counting cards," said Cerrito.
Cerrito says the odds of winning at least a $1,000 playing the Wheeler's favorite game are about 0.2%, or two chances out of a 1,000.
To understand those odds, imagine a joker in a deck of cards. Then shuffle it into not one, but 10 decks of cards. The chance of drawing that joker from the stack is the equivalent of the odds of winning a $1,000 from a $20 scratch-off ticket.
It means the wheelers would have to play 33 cards at $677 a day, every day, 365 days a year if they won according to the odds.
To calculate the chance of winning 23 big prizes in a year, multiple 0.2 times itself again and again.
How would Cerrito describe those tiny odds to her u of l math students?
"I ask them if at every moment in time, they are looking at the sky waiting on that lightning to fall on them," said Cerrito.
"It's a situation where they're just the luckiest people in probably not only Kentucky, but in the world. But it does look, in my opinion rather suspicious.
As for the Wheelers, they just hope the lucky streak continues.
Security at the Lottery
Next to Fort Knox, lottery headquarters is one of the most secure places in Kentucky.
It all starts with employees processing orders from 2700 retail locations.
The lottery scratch-off tickets these clerks are selling are printed by the millions at this plant in Georgia.
Winning numbers are assigned randomly by a computer.
The cards fly across the printing presses so fast, you can't even see them without a strobe light.
They are then boxed and shipped to Louisville, where pallets of sealed boxes are stored floor to ceiling in a warehouse.
Eventually, the games are transferred to the shipping room, where orders are filled.
"It's been assigned in the computer system, but the guys down here have absolutely no idea who that's gonna go to," said one lottery employee. "They just reach in the box and grab whatever they can grab. There's no system to it. It's all randomly done."
Completed orders are then packed into shipping bags and sealed.
"When he scans that barcode in, it locks that order into the computer system. After all those tickets are locked in, only at that point is there an address label that's printed."
The tickets aren't activated until they reach stores.
Lottery employees have no idea where the winning tickets are sent.
So how can anyone cheat? The most common way involves deception.
Convenience store clerks
"Well nope. No winner. They're kind of tricky to read sometimes? They are," said one clerk.
Clerks can use the complexity of the different games to trick winning customers into thinking they lost.
In this surveillance video from California, the clerk takes a $500,000 winning ticket from a customer and hides it, to cash in later.
That customer was actually an undercover lottery investigator.
Kentucky doesn't conduct similar stings, because officials say cheating isn't widespread.
The lottery's former attorney Keith Hunter says customers are often too trusting of those who sell them tickets.
"They're handing them the ticket saying, "Gee, did I win?" "Well, I may have won $10" when in fact I won $100," said Hunter.
Lowell and Concheata Wheeler, who have won 23 big prizes in the last year, says it's even happened to them.
They say a clerk outside Kentucky told them a $100 winning ticket was a loser and threw it in the trash.
"She thought we were some dumb old hillbillies that didn't know how to play lottery when we've spent years doing it... Redneck hillbillies," said Wheeler.
Mark Patel's company doesn't allow him to play the lottery but there's no law in Kentucky preventing retailers from playing.
While we there were hundreds of repeat big prize winners in Kentucky last year, it's nearly impossible to tell how many are convenience store owners, employees, their relatives or close friends.
Jackie Millikin of Louisville has won 22 big scratch-off jackpots worth $31,500 in less than three years.
He refused to talk to us about his winnings.
We learned that the store where he works, Bank Street Liquors, once had the 13th highest lottery sales in Kentucky.
You can't buy lottery tickets there anymore, though.
The lottery has placed a $58,000 lien on the business.
The Kentucky Lottery aggressively prosecutes players who cheat.
Earlier this month, Jean Watkins was arrested after allegedly cashing a $350 winning ticket, then stealing it back.
Police say Watkins tried to cash the ticket again at another location.
As far as retailers go, they say, "If it isn't on the up-and-up, they can face all kinds of penalties, up to the revocation of their license."
Only two Kentucky retailers lost their licenses in the past year both for criminal offenses unrelated to the lottery.
Attorney Keith Hunter says someone besides the lottery should police retailers since the lottery depends on those same people to sell lots of tickets.
"I think there needs to be more oversight," said Hunter. "As long as their numbers are up, I'm sure they're happy, but my concern is that people are not having a fair opportunity to win."
In the meantime, lottery officials say you should always sign the back of a winning ticket to make sure nobody tries taking it from you and you should look at the receipt from the lottery terminal to make sure you know if you won or not.
And if something isn't right, let the lottery know about it.
The Kentucky Lottery recently passed a new regulation requiring an investigation any time a retailer wins more than $5000.
That measure was adopted after evidence of widespread lottery fraud turned up in California, Minnesota, Iowa and Canada.
Watch the investigative reports
WHAS11 Investigative Report – Part 1
WHAS11 Investigative Report – Part 2
Thanks to Bluegrass for the tip.
They have got to be cheating somewhere. I know some folks who spend over 500.00 per month on scratch-offs and the biggest they have ever won is $1,000.00 and it is not ALL of the time either. They have only won once or twice since I have known them. The point is ..is the clue in the serial numbers or what..sometimes "inside knowledge" pays off big. Wonder how the Ky lottery likes this "advertisement". No so good huh?
wheeler...LOL...Talking about PR stunt...
this reminds me, in West Virgia which has West Virginia Cash25 it has a city or county named: "Wheeling"....Again whatever...
people to publicity stunts to make people believe is some kind of divine intervention that is somehow angels or whatever...
but at least i don't blame them because TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, if there is someone who should win the lottery more than the rest of us is people whose last name is "Wheeler or wheeling" and people whose last name is: "Lotto" or first name is lotto...
but they better stop thinking that a person cant win scratchoff 30 dam times...
please if you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen...
The same thing has been happening in Indiana for years. Virtually all major scratch-off prize winners live in Marion County (Indianapolis) or Lake County (East Chicago), and a few of those people have claimed major prizes several times. The only difference is that here, in the sovereign nation of Indiana, when someone begins to get suspicious, the state AND the media circle the wagons with amazing rapidity. The focus quickly shifts to an all-out effort to publicly discredit the whistleblower while shoring up the illusion of the unimpeachable "integrity" (a word which is sorely overused in discussions on this topic) of the Hoosier Lottery and our public officials. We even have one Indianapolis resident who has managed to win the Pick-5 jackpot an incredible FIVE TIMES in one year. Does he use a system? Well, probably, but we'll never get the chance to ask, because the Indianapolis Star doesn't deem that story to be newsworthy, and WISH TV wants no part of an investigative report on the subject. Oh, well; life goes on ...
That Adam Walsher and WHAS have launched an investigation is quite a step forward, but I can't help wondering what consequences they'll suffer as a result of their efforts. Those who benefit from corrupt lotteries wield tremendous power and, if they're anything like the criminals we elect to office year after year, I'm sure they'll see to it that no good deed goes unpunished.
We even have one Indianapolis resident who has managed to win the Pick-5 jackpot an incredible FIVE TIMES in one year. Does he use a system? Well, probably, but we'll never get the chance to ask
What make you think a person with a system is doing something illegal? Or that he has an obligation to explain it to anyone who asks about it?
If I had a system that won more than usual, any one who thought it was illegal or just wanted to know how it worked wouldn't get any help from me, they would be on their own.
i think is called "HONOR"...
The article is talking mainly about scratch off winners. Scratch offs are supposed to be "random". Now if a person had a lottery system where they can hit the jackpot in games such as cash 5 or cash 6 more than once..then more power to them..That to me is achievable but to do the same thing with scratch offs is totally unbelievable and frankly it should be questioned. Also, why do the winners of these scratch offs all seem to be clustered in certain areas?
In my opinion we believe that there might be a system to win the lotto even though we have not found it, however that's because we have contributed lots of time to the lottery, however sorry to say this but we the ones that publicly display out system lack a little common sense believing that the state lottery is not going to be snooping around this website...However not everyone is going to publicly display their system on the internet...So there is a lot of stuff we don't know..This is kind of like the black market there is a lot of stuff people don't know about the black market, unless the FBI brings it to our attention...
Also if you was to talk to the common person that there is a system that could win the lottery they will not believe you because they have not spent time on the lottery websites...So the same way there is a lot of stuff we don't know about scratchoffs since lots of us don't even play scratchoff or dedicate time to study scratchoffs [the scratchoff lounge of LP is always empty and there is never systems about it]...This reminds me of a show i saw about las vegas casinos about 2 guys that tried to crack the roullette...to this point i always thought that the roullette of all the games in the casinos was uncrackable, there is no way nobody could cracked that game...And yet this 2 CA college dropped out students in their basement work and work and calculated and did experiments and figure a way to crack the scratchoff....I found out about it because the 2 guys got caught and they showed it on tv...what happened had they never been caught or had i not seen the show? I will continue to think and say that the roullette is unbeatable...
and i'll never know why? because i or we didn't dedicated time to the scratchoffs nor do i check out underground stuff...
So if people got a system to beat the scratchoff and they win the scratchoff several times nobody can tell you anything...I sometimes don't understand because the state lottery create games and say they are random and when someone wins it they complain if you dont want people to win your game then dont create them if you are looking for anything illegal like falsifying scratchoff tickets then i understtand but dont be complaining if someone has a system...Also this is kind of tricky because if someone creates a system to win scratchoffs they should keep it secret otherwise they will bring down the state lottery...but what can i say....
what does this mean? that there is a lot of stuff we dont know...Not everyone sorry to say this but not everyone is going to be dumb enough to publish their system on the internet for the world to know like we do...
one suggestion...Whenever you are outside your house/home turn on your ears and listen to what people around you wisper to you to your ears you might learn more than what you learn in LP...Almost everything of all the systems that've come up with i did it because i had my ears turned on not because i made it up myself...
COntigent on the overall area (population of players in an area), its feasible to have more winners. I have seen Metro style areas show higher winning rates but then one needs to realize the population there is five times more then a small town area so ratio wise its still the same.
I am a firm beleiver that lack of monitoring by some retailers does give them the unfortunate liberty to scratch and claim on business time without paying til they go to cash in.
I have checked my PA website and there are some perpetually *Lucky* folks that get to claim monthly on scratch offs....over 1k....same names , same areas...and carry the same family name....
Its rampant and I have witnessed folks doing the following: Have a 1k winner and be desparate for CASH. Instead of filling out the paperwork they tell the owners that they can buy the ticket from him/her for 500 cash. ANd the owner does it! The owner will scan the ticket first then go into his cash stash and give the bloke his funds. The owner then files papers and collects his winnings ...Go figure.
I questioned the PA Lottery on this practice and they merely say- so long as it claimed and found to be a legitimate ticket then the rules are being followed. Truly so long as the Lottery gets its moola they could care less who acquired it or how it came to be paid out.
if you don't know what i mean by:
one suggestion...Whenever you are outside your house/home turn on your ears and listen to what people around you wisper to you to your ears you might learn more than what you learn in LP...Almost everything of all the systems that've come up with i did it because i had my ears turned on not because i made it up myself...
always walk with a bell howel sound amplifier...you put in in your ears and it can amplify sounds around you from several meters away...this is one reason why i don't own a car...
also if you look at the mechanics of the scratchoff games this is what is going on...a roll has what 300 on them...all you got to do is buy a whole roll..also a roll you buy 1 now then 3 days later or 5 days later you buy another one or more yet after you left and during that time transpirre 20 people came and bought rolls after you so you are buy in intervals of 20...See what i am saying...?
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With all the winners, scratch-off and otherwise, in Coldwater Michigan I have wondered if Lansing and Indianapolis have been "trading favors". I dont recall ever seeing any outlet in Coldwater being in the list of top Michigan retailers but they sure do win alot of big prizes for a town of that size and of course it is just a coincidence that they are so close to Indiana.
Perhaps it is Just what RJOH says and what happens most is most likely to happen again.
If that is the case then you might as well not bother buying any tickets unless you buy them in the areas that win.
Mathematics Professor Patricia is right about the statistics.
You know I never play scratchers, they aren't that glamorous for me, and they make such a mess, lol, not to mention clerks unfamiliar with them fumble around and make you hold up the store line, leaving everyone behind you angry at you, apparantly taking your time order cigarettes and buying a thousand cases of beers is okay, but G-d forbid you hold up the line asking for tickets lol, last time I checked ANY PURCHASES WAS JUST AS A VALID PURCHASE AS ANY OTHER IF IT WAS FOR SALE AT THE SAME STORE, SO PEOPLE SHOULD REALLY SHOW THE SAME RESPECT. 
I GUESS THEY ARE THINKING 'SILLY FOOLS, YOU WILL NEVER WIN,' WELL RATHER A FOOL THAN A NON-BELIEVER, WHO NEVER GETS ANYTHING BUT THE DARK REALITY OF LIFE, AND KNOWS NOT FUN. LOL LOOK AT ME SOUNDING LIKE PUMPI, LOL. ANYWAY, ALSO, IF you ask for more than one, they give you a hard time especially if they have to search and look for them because they cannot see them or find them, anyway, "Truly so long as the Lottery gets its moola they could care less who acquired it or how it came to be paid out," is pretty much accurate, and I still say its not owners, so much as who they employ that do most of this 'black market scheming." lol, AND PUMPI, a dog NAMED lotto???????????? HAHAHAHAHA, THAT, IS THE FUNNIEST THING I HAVE EVER READ.... LOLS 
YOU MADE MY NIGHT BUDDY. LOL :) LOVE YOUR POSTS PUMPI. LOL, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE A TINGLING FEELING YOUR 89 AND IN PANAMA IN A HUT PRACTICING ZEN BUDDHISM. hehe.
Here in Tn they have a second chance drawing,I saw this one name that looked filimar and looked on the web site and this person just won 160,000 on Pick 5 then hit a second chance drawing too.They wasnt even from Tn. They were from Hazel Green,Al.They have won a number of times.Makes you wonder sometimes.
RJOH said,
"What make you think a person with a system is doing something illegal? Or that he has an obligation to explain it to anyone who asks about it?"
I offer you my most sincere and heartfelt apologies. How thoughtless and insensitive of me; I'm usually very careful to craft sentences which won't offend the membership, but in this case I can certainly see why you feel so strongly about my negative comments. I NEVER should have written that someone using a system is doing something illegal OR that I believe anyone who does so has an obligation to explain himself (or herself).
RJOH, thank you for pointing this out. You have my solemn word of honor that I will be extremely careful when choosing my words in the future, provided, of course, that you'll agree to carefully read what I've actually written before taking me to task.
Again, please accept my apologies; I truly am sorry.
I would like to ask you a personal question, though, if I'm not being too forward:
Are you at all familiar with the antics of literary characters Dick and Jane and their little dog Spot? I think you'd find their tales very compelling, and I highly recommend the entire series to anyone who reads as well as you do ...
I hope this helps to make up for offending you in my previous post. I promise it won't happen again.