Quick Links   You last visited July 5, 2022, 7:41 am All times shown are Eastern Time (GMT-5:00) | Lottery rigging mastermind sentenced to 25 years in prison Insider Buzz: Lottery rigging mastermind sentenced to 25 years in prisonRating: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 I hurt." Tipton pleaded guilty in June to a charge of ongoing criminal conduct for a scheme involving seven lottery tickets in five states, according to court documents. He admitted to rigging computer programming code to produce winning numbers — netting Tipton and his accomplices millions of dollars. Tipton has agreed to pay about $2.2 million in restitution, including $1.1 million to the Colorado lottery, $644,000 to the Oklahoma lottery, $391,000 to the Wisconsin lottery and $30,000 to the Kansas lottery. When Judge Brad McCall asked him on Tuesday how he intended to repay the money, Tipton said, "Initially, I really don't know." Prior to his sentencing, Tipton's lawyer said his client was ready to accept his punishment. "He looks forward to putting this entire matter behind him and moving on with his life after he serves his sentence," lawyer Dean Stowers said in an email. He had asked the judge for a suspended sentence. Tipton was formerly a programmer with the Multi-State Lottery Association, the agency that administers some state lottery drawings. He designed and maintained software "for computerized random number generators used to select winning lottery numbers in many states across the country," according to the office of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. Tipton, who lives in Texas, is accused of buying lottery tickets in various states, including Iowa, and selecting numbers that he knew would win, since he designed the program that generated the winning numbers. Tipton then gave these tickets to third parties who agreed to cash them and split the money with him. He launched construction on a 4,800-square-foot home outside of Des Moines that contained a movie theater, a gym, overlooked a pond and sat on 22 acres after his first illegal win in 2005, court documents show. The scam went on to claim at least six more games across five states that netted more than $2 million, investigators alleged. The scam began to unravel following unsuccessful attempts to anonymously collect a $16.5 million Hot Lotto ticket that was purchased at a Des Moines convenience store in 2010. One his accomplices was his brother, Tommy Tipton, authorities said. The investigation against the Tipton brothers began in 2010, with a suspicious claim for a $14.3 million Hot Lotto jackpot in Iowa that lottery officials refused to pay. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation traced Tipton's scheme to other states as well. Eddie Tipton made a deal with prosecutors in June, in which he pleaded guilty to the Iowa charge of ongoing criminal conduct. Prosecutors dropped a charge of money laundering. He will be allowed to serve the Iowa sentence concurrently with a sentence of up to five-and-a-half years in Wisconsin, where he pleaded guilty to theft by fraud and computer crime. His brother Tommy Tipton, a former judge in Texas, is currently serving a 75-day sentence in Texas for a misdemeanor theft charge and deferred judgment on a felony charge of conspiracy to commit theft. The Tiptons' friend Robert Rhodes, who also lives in Texas, was the one who attempted to redeem the $14.3 million jackpot. He has pleaded guilty to fraud and will be sentenced on Friday. 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. 2011 2012 - 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
2013 2014 2015 - 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
2016 - 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
- Lottery scam investigation comes to Tennessee, May 11, 2016
- Investigators find another friend of Tipton who cashed rigged lottery prize, May 11, 2016
- Convicted computerized drawing fraudster argues Iowa court appeal, Jun. 16, 2016
- US Senate panel demands info in lottery scandal, Jun. 22, 2016
- Lottery rigging trial to be moved out of Des Moines, Jun. 27, 2016
- Eddie Tipton's new trial delayed until 2017, Jul. 1, 2016
- Iowa court reverses part of Tipton's lottery fraud conviction, Jul. 28, 2016
- Internal investigation concludes Tipton acted alone to rig lottery drawings, Aug. 10, 2016
- Prosecutors say 2 more men may be linked to lottery riggings, Aug. 24, 2016
- Judge: winner's lawsuit in lottery-fixing case can continue, Oct. 13, 2016
- Alleged lottery scandal conspirator to enter new plea, Nov. 14, 2016
- Accused lottery rigger Eddie Tipton facing new Wisconsin charges, Dec. 22, 2016
2017 - Man files lawsuit over rigged lottery jackpots, Jan. 4, 2017
- Trials for Tipton brothers charged in lottery scandal delayed, Jan. 8, 2017
- Former MUSL official received severance amid lottery jackpot scandal, Jan. 10, 2017
- Texas man pleads guilty to fraud in lottery scandal case, Jan. 11, 2017
- Iowa Supreme Court hears lottery rigging case, Feb. 14, 2017
- Kansas files lawsuit against accused lottery rigger, Mar. 16, 2017
- Best friend to testify against Tipton at July lottery rigging trial, Mar. 31, 2017
- Mastermind of lottery fraud will explain how he rigged jackpots, Jun. 12, 2017
- FBI missed rigged jackpot in 2006 before lottery scheme grew, Jun. 19, 2017
- The 5 lottery jackpots Tipton and his friends stole, Jun. 20, 2017
- Lottery jackpot rigger's Iowa convictions dismissed, Jun. 23, 2017
- IT'S OFFICIAL: Tipton pleads guilty to rigging computerized lottery drawings, Jun. 29, 2017
- Lottery rigging accomplice used Wisconsin payout for offshore tax scam, Jul. 6, 2017
- Hot Lotto multi-state lottery game to end in October, Aug. 9, 2017
Lottery Post Staff
* In hot pursuit of $ *
White Shores- California United States Member #136471 December 12, 2012 6816 Posts Offline | They lowered the boom on Eddie. * Voice of Reason * * People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it- George Bernard Shaw. | | |
United States Member #118604 November 4, 2011 1443 Posts Offline | It appears he thought he was going to get away with this since he started building a beautiful custom residence. Too bad he isnt ever going to call it home. What a waste. | | |
New Member United States Member #183977 August 22, 2017 3 Posts Offline | What gets me is why don't these criminals who steal millions flee to a non-extradition country? Everyone gets caught eventually. Just run as soon as you have enough to retire on. Plenty of very nice non-extradition countries offer economic citizenship. | | |
wisconsin United States Member #49377 January 28, 2007 4967 Posts Offline | He's sorrylol What a joke !! It sure didn't bother him while he was colleting all the money. He should and the rest of them should ROT in Prison | | |
Fresno, California United States Member #157849 August 2, 2014 3959 Posts Offline | Greed. Pure Greed. "We are all in this together!" | | |
United States Member #118604 November 4, 2011 1443 Posts Offline | What gets me is why don't these criminals who steal millions flee to a non-extradition country? Everyone gets caught eventually. Just run as soon as you have enough to retire on. Plenty of very nice non-extradition countries offer economic citizenship. Dont give any of them any ideas lol. I remember years ago there was one store clerk who stole a winning million dollar ticket. He told the owner of the ticket it was worth a thousand dollars. The clerk claimed the money and immediately headed off to Nepal. If I recall correctly it was the lottery that found the ticket owner was ripped off. The U.S. froze the thief's account in Nepal. This was a show on The Lottery Changed My Life so you know it was years ago and at that point there was still a couple hundred thousand outstanding and the owner was trying to get back. | | |
I-95 United States Member #178802 December 17, 2016 2185 Posts Offline | | | |
Texas United States Member #33718 February 24, 2006 764 Posts Offline | 8/22/2017 . . . Tipton was formerly a programmer with the Multi-State Lottery Association, the agency that administers some state lottery drawings. He designed and maintained software "for computerized random number generators used to select winning lottery numbers. . ." ================================================== Oh Boy!! And THEY said it couldn't be rigged! Doesn't surprise me one bit! His sentence was to light IMHO! So, by definition, were these random drawings?? | | |
Maryland United States Member #162427 January 2, 2015 2794 Posts Offline | When asked how how he would repay the money, he responded with 'I have no idea' How about we start with you SELLING the giant house you built with the money. Plus any and ALL assets (cars, boats, planes ect). | | |
Same #'s, different games.
Here United States Member #90247 April 24, 2010 11605 Posts Offline | I wonder if this will someday be an episode of American Greed. | | |
Kentucky United States Member #32651 February 14, 2006 9628 Posts Offline | "He looks forward to putting this entire matter behind him and moving on with his life after he serves his sentence," lawyer Dean Stowers said in an email. He had asked the judge for a suspended sentence. If 25 years was part of a plea bargaining arrangement, what would the sentence be if he was found guilty? | | |
25 Ringleader
Michigan United States Member #81738 October 28, 2009 100047 Posts Online | I wonder if this will someday be an episode of American Greed. Up next, Tipton gets caught rigging dice games in prison laundry room scandal. Happy 4th of July  | | |
Same #'s, different games.
Here United States Member #90247 April 24, 2010 11605 Posts Offline | "He looks forward to putting this entire matter behind him and moving on with his life after he serves his sentence," lawyer Dean Stowers said in an email. He had asked the judge for a suspended sentence. If 25 years was part of a plea bargaining arrangement, what would the sentence be if he was found guilty? They obviously weren't expecting to get the max. You don't get the max in a plea bargain, unless it's life instead of death | | |
1859.5948.7664.9749.
California United States Member #180563 March 13, 2017 5572 Posts Offline | What gets me is why don't these criminals who steal millions flee to a non-extradition country? Everyone gets caught eventually. Just run as soon as you have enough to retire on. Plenty of very nice non-extradition countries offer economic citizenship. Im not at any time going to condone what he has done. However, a co-worker of mine was sounding like HopesDreams tonight lol so i had to say i hear ya.But i guess he didn't want to live in the lap of luxury on a beach front in a lovely beach house/condominium where there are zero extradition. Heck,even murderers and or worse in many cases child molest azzhat's do not get this long.The hammer was really dropped on him." $22,000 Won! Let's Go NC! Time 2 break the bank, baby! 0525 1859 0599 0832 1117 0806 1035 1038 1449 2274 2777 2727 1859 1895 5819 6185 3062 5127 1117 1933 6023 4213 6023 6230 1995 8486 4886 8078 8489 8870 1853 1994 9581 8591 7664 8591 | | |
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