Quick Links   You last visited August 7, 2022, 8:18 pm All times shown are Eastern Time (GMT-5:00) | Lottery scam investigation comes to Tennessee Tennessee Lottery: Lottery scam investigation comes to TennesseeRating: Includes video report
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Education Lottery is cooperating with investigators as they look into one of the most elaborate lottery scams in U.S. history. The scam was the work of Eddie Tipton, a former security director with the Multi-State Lottery Association. Tipton has been convicted of fraud and sentenced to ten years in prison. But his brother and his old college roommate were recently arrested as the jackpot fixing investigation expanded. Prosecutors in Iowa say surveillance video from an Iowa convenience store shows Eddie Tipton buying a winning ticket worth $14 million back in 2010. The Assistant Director of Iowa's Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) said the scam sounds like something you would see in a movie. "This new to me in my career. I have not seen anything like this," David Jobes said. Investigators say Tipton used his security clearance to install software on lottery computers. The software enabled him to manipulate winning lottery numbers in at least six states. "We continue to work on this case. The agents keep looking at jackpots in different locations," Jobe said. That includes Tennessee. The President and CEO of the Tennessee Education Lottery, Rebecca Hargrove, confirmed they provided the names of those who won certain lottery games to investigators. They are reviewing those names to see if winners have ties to Tipton. "We feel as confident as we possibly can that Tennessee was not impacted," Hargrove said. But Tennessee lottery officials confirmed to Newschannel 5 Investigates that Tipton visited the offices of the Tennessee Lottery back in 2004 while he worked for the Multi-State Lottery Association. "He had no access what-so-ever to our facilities since we started using random number generated drawings," Hargrove said. Investigators are not focused on games like Mega-millions or Powerball because they use ball drops to pick winning numbers. They are focused on games like Hot Lotto which use computers — called random number generators — to pick winners. Tipton's brother actually won jackpots in Oklahoma and Colorado. An investigator was asked could anyone be that lucky? David Jobe responded, "I wouldn't think so. I know I'm not." Hargrove said the timing is critical — the state didn't start offering Hot Lotto until 2013 — after Tipton had been caught buying that ticket in Iowa and his scheme began to unravel. She doubts Tennessee will be impacted by the lottery scam. "We didn't use any random number generators from the gentleman who provided them," Hargrove said. "Our random number generators have never come from that source." VIDEO: Watch the report 
Timeline of the biggest crime in US lottery history The following is a compilation of Lottery Post news coverage chronicling the Hot Lotto mystery and subsequently discovered crime. We start the timeline with a news story indicating that only 3 months remained for the $16 million Hot Lotto jackpot to be claimed. - Deadline for claiming $16.5M Hot Lotto jackpot nears, Sep. 21, 2011
- Unclaimed Iowa lottery jackpot to expire Dec. 29, Dec. 1, 2011
- Iowa $16.5M Hot Lotto winner claims prize with two hours to spare, Dec. 29, 2011
- Iowa Lottery security chief bent on determining identity of jackpot winner, Jan. 10, 2012
- NY lawyer in lottery mystery travels to Iowa this week, Jan. 17, 2012
- Iowa Lottery security chief to grill NY lawyer over Hot Lotto ticket, Jan. 17, 2012
- Representative of Hot Lotto winner named in lawsuit, Jan. 20, 2012
- Hot Lotto trust representative won't name winner, Jan. 20, 2012
- Iowa Lottery threatens to deny jackpot payout if winner stays anonymous, Jan. 23, 2012
- Lawyer gives up $14 million Iowa lottery ticket claim, Jan. 26, 2012
- $14.3 million Hot Lotto prize claim withdrawn, Jan. 27, 2012
- Iowa Legislators satisfied with Lottery's handling of mystery jackpot winner, Feb. 1, 2012
- Iowa Lottery to give away millions from jackpot mystery, Feb. 26, 2012
- Iowa Lottery director: 50-50 that Hot Lotto mystery will be solved, Aug. 9, 2012
- Iowa officials trying to solve lotto mystery, may release surveillance video, Aug. 19, 2012
- 1 year later, Iowa Lottery still hunting for suspicious no-show winner, Jan. 30, 2013
- Inquiry in Iowa Lottery mystery touches Canada, Jul. 26, 2013
- Lottery jackpot probe heats up after immunity deal, Oct. 8, 2013
- Iowa Lottery still hunting mystery Hot Lotto winner [video], Oct. 10, 2014
- MUSL employee arrested in Hot Lotto jackpot mystery, Jan. 15, 2015
- BOMBSHELL: MUSL employee might have rigged Hot Lotto computerized drawing, Apr. 13, 2015
- Texas man charged in Iowa lottery case contests extradition, Apr. 20, 2015
- Extradition trial begins this week in $16.5M Hot Lotto fraud case, Jun. 7, 2015
- Inside the biggest lottery scam ever, Jul. 7, 2015
- Trial underway in world's biggest lottery fraud case, Jul. 14, 2015
- Lottery security chief: Rigging computerized game "sadly" possible, Jul. 15, 2015
- Prosecution rests in Hot Lotto trial, Jul. 16, 2015
- Defense quickly wraps up in Hot Lotto trial, Jul. 16, 2015
- Hot Lotto case moves to jury for deliberations, Jul. 17, 2015
- Former lottery security employee guilty of rigging $14.3M drawing, Jul. 20, 2015
- MUSL security worker who rigged drawing gets 10 years, Sep. 9, 2015
- HOT LOTTO DRAWING CHEAT CHARGED WITH RIGGING MORE JACKPOTS, Oct. 9, 2015
- Texas authorities had previously investigated brother of lottery cheat, Oct. 14, 2015
- Another $1.2M Hot Lotto jackpot rigged by Tipton, officials say, Nov. 21, 2015
- Jackpot-fixing investigation expands to more state lotteries, Dec. 18, 2015
- Prosecutors say Tipton rigged two jackpots he purchased tickets for in Kansas, Dec. 21, 2015
- Maine gives names of Hot Lotto winners to Iowa team looking into rigging scheme, Dec. 23, 2015
- S.C. Lottery assures public no computerized drawings used in state, Dec. 23, 2015
- Kansas lottery players questioning game's integrity, Dec. 23, 2015
- MUSL CHIEF OUSTED OVER JACKPOT-RIGGING SCANDAL, Dec. 23, 2015
- Lottery scandal unlikely to affect New Mexico, official says, Dec. 26, 2015
- Tipton granted delay in next trial until July, Dec. 29, 2015
- Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich to answer lottery player questions live Monday evening, Jan. 11, 2016
- First lawsuit in state lottery-fixing scandal seeks millions, Feb. 4, 2016
- MUSL seeks to dismiss lawsuit over rigged jackpot, Apr. 1, 2016
- Lottery scammer's brother facing criminal charges, Apr. 6, 2016
- Investigators find Tipton's software code to rig computerized lottery drawings, Apr. 7, 2016
- Lottery rigging scandal prompts security audit in South Dakota, Apr. 13, 2016
- Preliminary hearing rescheduled for Tommy Tipton in lottery rigging case, Apr. 22, 2016
- Third suspect surrenders in national lottery rigging scandal, Apr. 28, 2016
NewsChannel5, Lottery Post Staff
LOOK WHO IS LAUGHING NOW.
EUPHORIA. United States Member #141028 April 2, 2013 1488 Posts Offline | Boy, this stuff is turning into a virus and the Dragon Lady thinks she is immune. Seek and ye shall find -Matt. 7:7 ...Ask and ye shall receive -John 16:24 ...Give and it shall be given unto you -Luke 6:38 ...Be careful what you ask for!!! -Mypiemaster 1:1 Having Money Solves Problems That Not Having Money Creates ****John Carlton**** | | |
South Carolina United States Member #18321 July 9, 2005 1829 Posts Offline | The GOOD THING about this Nationwide RNG Investigation, is that it EXPOSES the Obvious Security Vulnerabilities and FRAUD that can happen in the game of Lottery using RNG drawings rather than Mechanical Ball Drawings. FRAUD is EASIER for Hackers with Computer Generated RNG lottery games. | | |
Egg Harbor twp.south Jersey shore United States Member #112963 June 29, 2011 4158 Posts Offline | So it seems we are just scratching the surface, hopefully this is the beginning of the end for RNG ! Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds -- Charles Mackay LL.D. | | |
50 Chief Bottle Washer
New Jersey United States Member #1 May 31, 2000 26902 Posts Online | So it seems we are just scratching the surface, hopefully this is the beginning of the end for RNG ! I'm with you: I wish this was the beginning of the end for RNG. Unfortunately it doesn't appear that the states are getting it. Did you watch the video and notice Ms. Hargrove laughingly dismiss the possibility that the Tennessee Lottery's RNG was affected? Rather than taking a serious tone and assuring people that the lottery is carefully investigating everything, she nearly does an eyeroll as she blows off the reporter's question. For the life of me I can't understand the lotteries' need to cling to computerized drawings as if they are the lifeblood of the games, when in fact the opposite is true. I can see how people could conclude that vendors of these drawing machines are "somehow" persuading lotteries to stick with them. The Texas Lottery demonstrates on a daily basis what I consider to be some of the best, most transparent, lottery drawings, and they are done with modern robotic camera technology that minimizes the costs involved. I can tell you that if I ran a lottery, I would absolutely adopt their approach. Too bad the computerized states refuse. | | |
Fresno, California United States Member #157849 August 2, 2014 3959 Posts Offline | with Todd. People need to vote with their dollars and their voices. Stop playing RNG games and let your legislature know why.
"We are all in this together!" | | |
* In hot pursuit of $ *
White Shores- California United States Member #136471 December 12, 2012 6829 Posts Offline | You got to love Priscilla's answer: "We did not get our rng from that guy." * Voice of Reason * * People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it- George Bernard Shaw. | | |
50 Chief Bottle Washer
New Jersey United States Member #1 May 31, 2000 26902 Posts Online | You got to love Priscilla's answer: "We did not get our rng from that guy." Yeah, as if that is the only computerized drawing system on Earth that could have been hacked. | | |
* In hot pursuit of $ *
White Shores- California United States Member #136471 December 12, 2012 6829 Posts Offline | Yeah, as if that is the only computerized drawing system on Earth that could have been hacked. My thought exactly Todd. * Voice of Reason * * People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it- George Bernard Shaw. | | |
Wyomissing, PA United States Member #161043 November 15, 2014 481 Posts Offline | I'm with you: I wish this was the beginning of the end for RNG. Unfortunately it doesn't appear that the states are getting it. Did you watch the video and notice Ms. Hargrove laughingly dismiss the possibility that the Tennessee Lottery's RNG was affected? Rather than taking a serious tone and assuring people that the lottery is carefully investigating everything, she nearly does an eyeroll as she blows off the reporter's question. For the life of me I can't understand the lotteries' need to cling to computerized drawings as if they are the lifeblood of the games, when in fact the opposite is true. I can see how people could conclude that vendors of these drawing machines are "somehow" persuading lotteries to stick with them. The Texas Lottery demonstrates on a daily basis what I consider to be some of the best, most transparent, lottery drawings, and they are done with modern robotic camera technology that minimizes the costs involved. I can tell you that if I ran a lottery, I would absolutely adopt their approach. Too bad the computerized states refuse. It's mystifying, especially given the national news coverage the Hot Lotto RNG hacking scandal has received. And yet Hot Lotto is still associated with MUSL, still uses computer RNG, and many are still buying! Crazy. Personally, I'd never buy any MUSL associated RNG game, such as 2x2, Hot Lotto, etc. Heck, I'm leery of even buying a Powerball or Mega Millions ticket these days, despite being ball drawn, unless the jackpot is record breaking high. Unless numbers sales drop sharply, it's likely many lotteries, such as Tennessee Lottery, will downplay the hacking issues, and continue / expand the use of RNG. I couldn't find past sales data on the Hot Lotto page. Be interested in knowing whether Hot Lotto ticket sales dropped much / overall sales history ... that data would likely shed much light on the lack of concern regarding RNG / hacking by most lotteries. If Hot Lotto sales, long-term, weren't affected much, that could explain it. | | |
Kentucky United States Member #32651 February 14, 2006 9675 Posts Offline | Includes video report
The Tennessee Education Lottery is cooperating with investigators as they look into one of the most elaborate lottery scams in U.S. history. The scam was the work of Eddie Tipton, a former security director with the Multi-State Lottery Association. Tipton has been convicted of fraud and sentenced to ten years in prison. But his brother and his old college roommate were recently arrested as the jackpot fixing investigation expanded. Prosecutors in Iowa say surveillance video from an Iowa convenience store shows Eddie Tipton buying a winning ticket worth $14 million back in 2010. The Assistant Director of Iowa's Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) said the scam sounds like something you would see in a movie. "This new to me in my career. I have not seen anything like this," David Jobes said. Investigators say Tipton used his security clearance to install software on lottery computers. The software enabled him to manipulate winning lottery numbers in at least six states. "We continue to work on this case. The agents keep looking at jackpots in different locations," Jobe said. That includes Tennessee. The President and CEO of the Tennessee Education Lottery, Rebecca Hargrove, confirmed they provided the names of those who won certain lottery games to investigators. They are reviewing those names to see if winners have ties to Tipton. "We feel as confident as we possibly can that Tennessee was not impacted," Hargrove said. But Tennessee lottery officials confirmed to Newschannel 5 Investigates that Tipton visited the offices of the Tennessee Lottery back in 2004 while he worked for the Multi-State Lottery Association. "He had no access what-so-ever to our facilities since we started using random number generated drawings," Hargrove said. Investigators are not focused on games like Mega-millions or Powerball because they use ball drops to pick winning numbers. They are focused on games like Hot Lotto which use computers — called random number generators — to pick winners. Tipton's brother actually won jackpots in Oklahoma and Colorado. An investigator was asked could anyone be that lucky? David Jobe responded, "I wouldn't think so. I know I'm not." Hargrove said the timing is critical — the state didn't start offering Hot Lotto until 2013 — after Tipton had been caught buying that ticket in Iowa and his scheme began to unravel. She doubts Tennessee will be impacted by the lottery scam. "We didn't use any random number generators from the gentleman who provided them," Hargrove said. "Our random number generators have never come from that source." VIDEO: Watch the report 
Timeline of the biggest crime in US lottery history The following is a compilation of Lottery Post news coverage chronicling the Hot Lotto mystery and subsequently discovered crime. We start the timeline with a news story indicating that only 3 months remained for the $16 million Hot Lotto jackpot to be claimed. - Deadline for claiming $16.5M Hot Lotto jackpot nears, Sep. 21, 2011
- Unclaimed Iowa lottery jackpot to expire Dec. 29, Dec. 1, 2011
- Iowa $16.5M Hot Lotto winner claims prize with two hours to spare, Dec. 29, 2011
- Iowa Lottery security chief bent on determining identity of jackpot winner, Jan. 10, 2012
- NY lawyer in lottery mystery travels to Iowa this week, Jan. 17, 2012
- Iowa Lottery security chief to grill NY lawyer over Hot Lotto ticket, Jan. 17, 2012
- Representative of Hot Lotto winner named in lawsuit, Jan. 20, 2012
- Hot Lotto trust representative won't name winner, Jan. 20, 2012
- Iowa Lottery threatens to deny jackpot payout if winner stays anonymous, Jan. 23, 2012
- Lawyer gives up $14 million Iowa lottery ticket claim, Jan. 26, 2012
- $14.3 million Hot Lotto prize claim withdrawn, Jan. 27, 2012
- Iowa Legislators satisfied with Lottery's handling of mystery jackpot winner, Feb. 1, 2012
- Iowa Lottery to give away millions from jackpot mystery, Feb. 26, 2012
- Iowa Lottery director: 50-50 that Hot Lotto mystery will be solved, Aug. 9, 2012
- Iowa officials trying to solve lotto mystery, may release surveillance video, Aug. 19, 2012
- 1 year later, Iowa Lottery still hunting for suspicious no-show winner, Jan. 30, 2013
- Inquiry in Iowa Lottery mystery touches Canada, Jul. 26, 2013
- Lottery jackpot probe heats up after immunity deal, Oct. 8, 2013
- Iowa Lottery still hunting mystery Hot Lotto winner [video], Oct. 10, 2014
- MUSL employee arrested in Hot Lotto jackpot mystery, Jan. 15, 2015
- BOMBSHELL: MUSL employee might have rigged Hot Lotto computerized drawing, Apr. 13, 2015
- Texas man charged in Iowa lottery case contests extradition, Apr. 20, 2015
- Extradition trial begins this week in $16.5M Hot Lotto fraud case, Jun. 7, 2015
- Inside the biggest lottery scam ever, Jul. 7, 2015
- Trial underway in world's biggest lottery fraud case, Jul. 14, 2015
- Lottery security chief: Rigging computerized game "sadly" possible, Jul. 15, 2015
- Prosecution rests in Hot Lotto trial, Jul. 16, 2015
- Defense quickly wraps up in Hot Lotto trial, Jul. 16, 2015
- Hot Lotto case moves to jury for deliberations, Jul. 17, 2015
- Former lottery security employee guilty of rigging $14.3M drawing, Jul. 20, 2015
- MUSL security worker who rigged drawing gets 10 years, Sep. 9, 2015
- HOT LOTTO DRAWING CHEAT CHARGED WITH RIGGING MORE JACKPOTS, Oct. 9, 2015
- Texas authorities had previously investigated brother of lottery cheat, Oct. 14, 2015
- Another $1.2M Hot Lotto jackpot rigged by Tipton, officials say, Nov. 21, 2015
- Jackpot-fixing investigation expands to more state lotteries, Dec. 18, 2015
- Prosecutors say Tipton rigged two jackpots he purchased tickets for in Kansas, Dec. 21, 2015
- Maine gives names of Hot Lotto winners to Iowa team looking into rigging scheme, Dec. 23, 2015
- S.C. Lottery assures public no computerized drawings used in state, Dec. 23, 2015
- Kansas lottery players questioning game's integrity, Dec. 23, 2015
- MUSL CHIEF OUSTED OVER JACKPOT-RIGGING SCANDAL, Dec. 23, 2015
- Lottery scandal unlikely to affect New Mexico, official says, Dec. 26, 2015
- Tipton granted delay in next trial until July, Dec. 29, 2015
- Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich to answer lottery player questions live Monday evening, Jan. 11, 2016
- First lawsuit in state lottery-fixing scandal seeks millions, Feb. 4, 2016
- MUSL seeks to dismiss lawsuit over rigged jackpot, Apr. 1, 2016
- Lottery scammer's brother facing criminal charges, Apr. 6, 2016
- Investigators find Tipton's software code to rig computerized lottery drawings, Apr. 7, 2016
- Lottery rigging scandal prompts security audit in South Dakota, Apr. 13, 2016
- Preliminary hearing rescheduled for Tommy Tipton in lottery rigging case, Apr. 22, 2016
- Third suspect surrenders in national lottery rigging scandal, Apr. 28, 2016
Hargrove said the timing is critical — the state didn't start offering Hot Lotto until 2013 — after Tipton had been caught buying that ticket in Iowa and his scheme began to unravel. Then why is MUSL wasting time investigating Tennessee Hot Lotto winners? Tipton's brother actually won jackpots in Oklahoma and Colorado. But can they prove Eddie Tipton rigged those drawings? | | |
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mid-Ohio United States Member #9 March 24, 2001 20272 Posts Offline | Hargrove said the timing is critical — the state didn't start offering Hot Lotto until 2013 — after Tipton had been caught buying that ticket in Iowa and his scheme began to unravel. Then why is MUSL wasting time investigating Tennessee Hot Lotto winners? Tipton's brother actually won jackpots in Oklahoma and Colorado. But can they prove Eddie Tipton rigged those drawings? Sounds like anyone who wins a jackpot of a MUSL game is a suspect because they have accomplished the impossible. * you don't need to buy every combination, just the winning ones *
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San Angelo, Texas United States Member #1097 January 31, 2003 1648 Posts Offline | IMHO, I doubt that any lottery official who went to great lengths to convince the politicians that they would have more money to spend if they dumped the ball machines is going to admit to being wrong. Lottery directors are seen as financial wizards who don't make mistakes. Switching back to ball machines would require funds that the political class is not about to give up without a fight. A recommendation that players stop buying tickets is ludicrous. There is no way on earth or Hell that such an effort be seriously organized and put into effect. Like it or not, the RNG computers that are now in place are here to stay. | | |
Bellingham, WA United States Member #86466 February 4, 2010 44 Posts Offline | All said and done, but why isn't the third person's face, The Collage Room Mate, posted for all to see!!! Sounds fishy to me...
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Earth, USA United States Member #80330 September 24, 2009 44327 Posts Offline | I just wish people were sharp enough to fall back from playing in cases where these scams come out. You can get the results you want simply by NOT funding it by playing. Don't play and they will make changes. People's greed and addictions to the hope of winning have a grip on their logical thinking.  | | |
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