Pennsylvania Lottery Scratch Games Investigated

Comment #22

DoctorEw220 — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 01:34:14 GMT

in PA, the $1, $2, $3, and $5 tickets have a book value of $300, so you get 300 $1 tickets, 150 $2 tickets, 100 $3 tickets, and 60 $5 tickets. the $10 and $20 tickets used to have book values of $300 too, but that was changeed to $600, so you get 60 $10 tickets in a book, and 30 $20 tickets.

Comment #21

Grammy3 — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 01:20:28 GMT

As soon as they open that pack of tickets they have to pay for it.They do not have a choice of what scratch off they want. They just send them new ones when they close out a pack. There are runners that bring in there other supplies. I have a close friend that has a lottery retail business. he has told me that the $5.00 packs us to be 25 to a pack but they have increased them to 100 like the other scratch-off games. That is a lot of money to fork out if they do not sell.

Comment #20

weshar75 — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:42:47 GMT

I know that oregon lottery only updates the remaining prizes list on their site every month. The store that I buy scratchers from puts the list up every month and it is bad because the information is always old by the time I get ready to buy the tickets. I wish they would be more informative about the remaining prizes then just one list every month.

Comment #19

four4me — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 23:14:53 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by DoctorEw220 on February 16, 2005Quote: Originally posted by four4me on February 16, 2005There is no easy solution to this. If the pa lottery orders 10 million dollars worth of scratch off tickets and distributes them throught PA. Do the retailers pay for the tickets then sell them for the lottery. Does the lottery reimburse the retailers for any unsold tickets. What if i buy a winning top teir ticket and hold onto it until 3 weeks before the games ends. Who would know... [ More ]

Comment #18

ineed9million — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 22:12:32 GMT

Last I checked the PA lottery website hasn't updated their remaining prizes page since 2/7/05. Its now 2/16/05. I wonder how many people bought tickets using the outdated information the website is providing. I know we can't expect the commission to update the remaining prize page everyday...but 9 days...thats getting lazy. Or, maybe its not lazy...its smart. Because supplying outdated information is just as good (for the lottery commission) as not having a webpage in the first place.... [ More ]

Comment #17

DoctorEw220 — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 21:09:05 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by four4me on February 16, 2005 There is no easy solution to this. If the pa lottery orders 10 million dollars worth of scratch off tickets and distributes them throught PA. Do the retailers pay for the tickets then sell them for the lottery. Does the lottery reimburse the retailers for any unsold tickets. What if i buy a winning top teir ticket and hold onto it until 3 weeks before the games ends. Who would know it was sold except me. I know the books are scanned in but... [ More ]

Comment #16

LOTTOMIKE — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 19:35:17 GMT

i think what happens is sometimes some don't get pulled and are still being sold because the vendor isn't properly notified.

Comment #15

smd173 — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 14:05:23 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by lazyjim on February 15, 2005I guess it's impossible to notify the vendors to stop selling them by any way but car. Very high-tech operation.Couldn't a message be sent out via the Online game machines? I'm pretty sure most retailers have to print the previous days results. I would think they could put a big bold message on that that says Please remove scratch off game X, all the top prizes have been won .

Comment #14

dvdiva — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 08:27:49 GMT

I'm sure that unsold tickets are sent back to the state like unsold newspapers. If retailers had to pay for unsold tickets than the lottery could kiss the retail sector of distribution goodbye.

Comment #13

four4me — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 08:17:00 GMT

There is no easy solution to this. If the pa lottery orders 10 million dollars worth of scratch off tickets and distributes them throught PA. Do the retailers pay for the tickets then sell them for the lottery. Does the lottery reimburse the retailers for any unsold tickets. What if i buy a winning top teir ticket and hold onto it until 3 weeks before the games ends. Who would know it was sold except me. I know the books are scanned in but unless i redeem it how do they know it's sold until it's... [ More ]

Comment #12

dvdiva — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 08:14:33 GMT

Well they could have the same expiration date as lotto tickets. Say a one year exiration date. Tickets not sold in one year probably belong to a game that didn't sell well anyways.

Comment #11

DoctorEw220 — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 07:59:17 GMT

here are a few possinle problems with that.1. There are games that are centered around an dvent or holiday that are only intended to be sold around that time.2. Eventually you are going to run out of prizes altogether.An easier solution would be what PA does with the popular games. They constantly re-introduce them. Think of how many Win For Life games they've offered.

Comment #10

dvdiva — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 07:48:47 GMT

The only solution is to make them not expire at all. Same as gift certificates (in WA state anyways).

Comment #9

DoctorEw220 — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 07:40:03 GMT

WTG Jim Parsons. He, as well as WTAE TV in Pittsburgh, always go above and beyind with their stories. I almos always watch the 11:00 News on WTAE when I'm home.Anyway...I can vouch for the lottery when they say that they do notify the retailers about ending games. I have seen the psheets of paper the retailers get every month. It says of any promotions, the new insant games, which games they reccommend the retailers stock in the vending machines, and end dates for instant games. Also, the lotter... [ More ]

Comment #8

JimmySand9 — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 05:58:58 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by lazyjim on February 15, 2005 I contacted the Arizona lottery about the very same thing.They said they send people out to collect the tickets remaining from the vendors after the last top prize is gone but that sometimes it takes a while, especially in remote areas like where I live. Yeah, right.I guess it's impossible to notify the vendors to stop selling them by any way but car. Very high-tech operation.Seems like the Auto Manufacturers have even got the AZ Lottery u... [ More ]

Comment #7

Todd — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 05:21:44 GMT

What kind of vette do you have

Comment #6

GoArmy — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 04:14:01 GMT

Grammy,Love the nick by the way. The store where I go to posts the data for all of their scratch off tickets. I never buy them hardly, cant get that garbage all over the vette.

Comment #5

MADDOG10 — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 02:47:27 GMT

IMG alt=Gas src= http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_11_12.gif

Comment #4

Grammy3 — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 02:11:46 GMT

I always check the prizes still remaining because I said it before they keep the tickets out there when the large prizes are won and it is wrong. I know from working at a store where I ran the machine. It does not tell your remaining winners.

Comment #3

lazyjim — Tue, 15 Feb 2005 16:56:23 GMT

I contacted the Arizona lottery about the very same thing. They said they send people out to collect the tickets remaining from the vendors after the last top prize is gone but that sometimes it takes a while, especially in remote areas like where I live. Yeah, right.I guess it's impossible to notify the vendors to stop selling them by any way but car. Very high-tech operation.

Comment #2

Todd — Tue, 15 Feb 2005 16:11:00 GMT

The Real Media video does not appear to be working, but I'd recommend people check out the Windows Media video. It's a good report.

Comment #1

Litebets27 — Tue, 15 Feb 2005 15:58:41 GMT

Sounds fishy.

Pennsylvania Lottery Scratch Games Investigated

Lottery Post — Tue, 15 Feb 2005 15:06:00 GMT

Lottery tickets -- even the instant kind -- don't last forever.Not knowing about that expiration date could ruin your lucky day.If you've ever played a scratch-off lottery game, you have plenty of company in western Pennsylvania.Instant lottery ticket sales last year were $12 million in Beaver County, $14 million in Butler County, $36 million in Westmoreland County, $15 million in Washington County and $97 million -- the highest in Pennsylvania -- in Allegheny County.Ed Mahlman, Pennsylvania Lot... [ More ]