Massachusetts Lottery closes loophole after big wins

Comment #75

RJOh — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:38:36 GMT

Almost any lottery game can be beaten if players don't have a spending limit, it just not pratical to try. Massachusetts roll downs made it too pratical not to try for players with $100,000+ to gamble with little risk. The big spenders will be there as long as the roll downs exist, they just have to involve more stores with the new limits.

Ohio's Classic Lotto has a jackpot of $40M+/cash $20M and it not illegal for anyone with $14M to try and buy all the possilbe combinations in 2-3 days and... [ More ]

Comment #74

rdgrnr — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 01:49:12 GMT

...it would be weighted towards a minority who had the knowledge and ability to take advantage of it.

There is no need to be a bigot.

Minorities have just as much right to win as you do.

Comment #73

Jon D — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 23:46:20 GMT

What don't you get? Management and myself already explained it to you quite thoroughly, go back and read.

I never said the players did anything wrong, but I agree that the lotto commission had to take action, as the game was flawed. The lottery is supposed to ba a game of chance, with equal risk and reward for all players large and small. So when a problem or loophole is discovered in a game, they have to take corrective action. It was not some oh the government and the liberals are out to ge... [ More ]

Comment #72

rdgrnr — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:28:56 GMT

Oh no Win, I hope I don't have to explain it to those guys again! LOL

Comment #71

Win$500Quick — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 21:49:37 GMT

In case you missed it. Just saw this story again on the weekend edition of Inside Edition.

Comment #70

haymaker — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:27:44 GMT

did't take long did it

Comment #69

rdgrnr — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:12:08 GMT

So why are the retailers that sold them the tickets suspended from selling tickets?

To assuage the hysterical broke-ass masses who think that somehow, somewhere, someway - they were being cheated.

Smile - you won.

Comment #68

rdgrnr — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:08:17 GMT

Now that was rational and reasonable.

Well stated, management.

Comment #67

imagine — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:06:19 GMT

So why are the retailers that sold them the tickets suspended from selling tickets?

Because the high rollers themselves were the vendors. Printing their own tickets outside store hours.

They were just smart to find someone willing to break the rules.

Comment #66

management — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:54:46 GMT

There are 2 main questions here:

1 Were the people who used large 6 figure bets to win during rolldown periods cheating?

The answer is a flat NO. They played within the game rules and anyone from the general public with the funds and knowledge of how the game works could have placed the same bets they did. (they are not responsible for vendors who didnt follow rules)

2 Was the lottery correct to change the rules, making it difficult (discriminating against) high volume customers

Comment #65

rdgrnr — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:36:14 GMT

Yes, I think you're right but I had to at least try talking some sense into him.

I can deal with all his vicious name-calling - I just wanted to help him.

I tried to take him under my wing but some men you just can't reach.

Maybe you're right, that I shouldn't waste my time on him but it goes against my nature not to help people.

Comment #64

rdgrnr — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:33:06 GMT

Try making sense if you want to make a point.

Your acting like an hysterical woman.

Comment #63

rdgrnr — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:30:10 GMT

The few have been doing the misdeeds for years.

Then why not punish the few?

Why do you insist on having the 'Big Brother' solution of punishing everybody?

Because you're a lib and that's your nature, that's why.

You want a nanny state controlling every aspect of everybody's life.

You want a government permit and guarantee of absolute fairness and dolphin-free air for every breath you take.

Well guess what? A lot of us like freedom and can take care of ourselves.... [ More ]

Comment #62

Jon D — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:10:25 GMT

Yeah, there's some people that just won't respond to logic and reasoning, they just react with pure emotion. They live to push other people's buttons. Don't waste your time on them.

Comment #61

imagine — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:04:48 GMT

Simply insults and meanness to attempt to justify his opinion.

First it was they are just smarter and did nothing wrong, now it's punishing people by limiting ticket sales.

Comment #60

imagine — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:00:05 GMT

The few have been doing the misdeeds for years.

Stop turning it into a big brother argument.

Stop being stupid. They are welcome to buy $300,000 tickets. It's just harder to break the rules.

Try to insult me all you want, your still wrong.

Comment #59

Jon D — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 22:52:44 GMT

So full of anger and hatred, you need help man...seriously...

Comment #58

rdgrnr — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 22:47:57 GMT

So because everyone didn't violate a lot of rules, it's their stupidty?

So you punish everybody for the misdeeds of a few?

Is that your idea of being fair?

They don't have to change rules just cuz your where's my free stuff? crowd says so.

The market will decide if what they're doing is fair or not and let them adjust accordingly. They don't need your Big Brother mentality rushing in and changing everything to suit your broke-ass personal needs.

If the game is unfair, p... [ More ]

Comment #57

imagine — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:30:31 GMT

What don't you understand?

You need to go back and read the orginal article again.

They were greedy and cheating.... The stores were sent letters in advance to not violate the rules for the big spenders.

They were so greedy they did it anyway, hence why they got suspended.

So because everyone didn't violate a lot of rules, it's their stupidty

Comment #56

rdgrnr — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 17:20:24 GMT

Nope, you're wrong, sonny boy.

So you add rules and limits. You take turns betting, you give the option of all-in, you separate players with different bankrolls and betting amounts or have everyone start the poker tournament with the same amount. Its just common sense and fairness. They don't have to close down the game, just put some liits on it to make it fair.

There already were your beloved rules and limits - people without money can't play. You just didn't like the particu... [ More ]

Comment #55

Jon D — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 15:56:50 GMT

Nope, you're wrong, not discrimination against smart people.

It is a flawed game, weighted towards someone with a large bankroll.

Imagine a simple poker game, where one person comes to the table with $100, and the other player comes to the table with $10,000. The guy with $100 bets $10 and the guy wih $10,000 bets $1000. The guy with $100 can't match that and folds, forfeiting the pot. This contiues for 9 more plays until the player who came with $100 is now broke, and the guy who came wit... [ More ]

Comment #54

rdgrnr — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 15:42:47 GMT

When the guy was oinbterviewed on Inside Edition he said Anyone could have done this . I guess he assumes everybody has $300,000 to throw at lotto.

What I'm saying is that if you take that premise to its logical conclusion, everyone has the same right to throw $300,000 at lotto and it is not the fault of the people who have it to throw that the ones complaining weren't smart enough to amass it.

No one was precluding them from amassing their own fortune to spend or invest or gamble in any... [ More ]

Comment #53

Coin Toss — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 15:24:44 GMT

When the guy was oinbterviewed on Inside Edition he said Anyone could have done this . I guess he assumes everybody has $300,000 to throw at lotto.

They showed the MIT guy's name on the bottom of the screen when he was interviewed.

____________________________________

I've been telling you guys that when anyone stumbles upon something like this, or if someone does break the code that game will no longer be available as it was, or in this case the flaw will be fixed, which it was.... [ More ]

Comment #52

rdgrnr — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:57:21 GMT

Sounds like discrimination against smart people.

These smart people weren't doing anything that you didn't have the same right to do.

They weren't usurping any of your rights.

You could have done the same exact thing they were doing if you wanted to.

So what's the beef

Comment #51

Jon D — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 04:16:46 GMT

Yeah, I saw the broadcast of the story on Inside Edition too.

Also, they didn't name him in the story, but wasn't that MIT professor the infamous Mohan Srivastava, the one who cracked the scratch-off extended play lottery games?

Anyway, I agree the game was flawed. Even though the public asked for a capped jackpot withd rolldown, the fact is that it favored someone with a huge bankroll coming in to scoop up all the money at certain times. In a public lottery funded by the general public, t... [ More ]

Comment #50

Win$500Quick — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 03:31:10 GMT

I saw this story yesterday on Inside Edition. I was shocked at how much the couple was spending on tickets. Lotteries are a business like ever other business, here to make money. Winners are used to promote and market the lottery. That is why they make players take pictures and meet with the press to sell more tickets.

Comment #49

imagine — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:26:24 GMT

They knew this loop hole was there for sometime.

I love how the lottery only took action when it became public knowledge.

What small time player would want to risk anyone on the game?

An MIT professor even said at the $ amount some were playing their was virtualy no risk.

Only the little fellow was gambling.

Comment #48

RJOh — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 02:32:24 GMT

That's not unusual. Indiana's 6/48 game did the samething a couple of years back, it was finally won by a guy playing family birthdays after rolling up to nearly $48M.

I'm sure if someone had a strategy where spending more money would at least allowed them to break nearly even, it wouldn't have taken so long.

Comment #47

RJOh — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 02:20:18 GMT

That may be true if those big spenders spent $100,000.00 during regular drawings trying to win the jackpot and only matched a couple of 5of6 for $8,000.00 but they only spend that kind of money to get a 5of6 at 1:40,000 odds when the rolldowns could make a 5of6 worth more than $40,000+. Since the state doesn't want the regular players thinking they are just fatten up the jackpots for the big spenders, they had to act. If those regular players stopped playing then there wouldn't be any $2M jackpo... [ More ]

Comment #46

larry3100 — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:55:45 GMT

I don't care if someone came into a store and bought several million dollars worth of lottery tickets.This is a win-win situation.The store wins and the state wins!.And if there are multiple winners,they win too

Comment #45

maringoman — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 22:23:21 GMT

Yeah, whats up with the 649 going for over a year with nobody winning? our 649 has hit $21.7M only once in its history and thats more than 7 years ago. It rarely goes past $5M. We're gambling mad out here in MA hahaha

If I lived in Ohio I'd be chasing that cow like there's no tomorrow. 1 in 13M odds is waaay much better than the PB MM JP odds although some people play the latter games for the non jackpot prizes too. I do but my main motivation is the jackpot.

Comment #44

RJOh — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:39:43 GMT

Ohio has a 649 game Classic Lotto which has gone over a year without a jackpot winner which is now at $40.4M with a cash value of $20.2M. If it was easy for anyone with $13,983,816 to buy all the possible combinations in three days and win the jackpot plus $1,828,790 in other prizes, others probably wouldn't continue to buy tickets?

There are other states with games that investors can buy lots of tickets and possible make a profit but they are not a sure bet because states generally have rule... [ More ]

Comment #43

rdgrnr — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:32:49 GMT

Are you implying that you smell a Patel

Comment #42

rdgrnr — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:30:52 GMT

Roger that.

Comment #41

imagine — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:26:55 GMT

I read another article on this. These retailers violated a lot of rules.

The employees that printed tickets weren't even present, sometimes. Printing tickets before and after business hours.

The customer was not present when some tickets were printed. Employees aren't allowed to be hired to work the lotto machine solely for this purpose, they need to work at other times.

The stores got greedy.

Comment #40

GiveFive — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:05:17 GMT

Loophole ? I think not.

There's more to this story than we can possibly know. If you know the towns where the tickets were being purchased, (I do because I've been through that neck of the woods and it's very rural there), then you know they're about half way into The Commonwealth of Mass. (If you're driving into Mass from the New York border on The Mass Pike. Then ya gotta hang a left on I-91 and go North a bit.) If someone was driving to Mass from Michigan, why not just stop at the Mass bor... [ More ]

Comment #39

RL-RANDOMLOGIC — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:25:56 GMT

Ridge

I think Todd nailed it when we said it's a betting strategy. The game is designed to roll down and pay out more

for lower prizes and that is exactly what it does. It is working just as it is designed as far as I can see and no

loop hole exist at all. I would love to see these sort of games increase instead of going down the tubes so to

speak. I think you are right that some people don't want others to succeed. What bothers me the most is that

dissinformation will win out in... [ More ]

Comment #38

Fondant — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:30:26 GMT

So there is now a 5,000$ cap on daily winfall ticket sales per store. Sounds like what the state has actually done is make it so that the ONLY folks who will play will be the big spenders, and they will go from store to store, effectively shutting out the little player. This sounds like it's going to be a long year till WinFall is ended.

Comment #37

CashWinner$ — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 02:57:51 GMT

Gawd, I hate RICH peoples ....... $$$$$$$ ........ JJ .......

Comment #36

rdgrnr — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 02:53:09 GMT

It's just whiners who hate people with money, Chuck.

They want the rich punished for the crime of being successful in life.

Comment #35

chuck32 — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 02:40:37 GMT

Has anybody done the math? Some computer guy claims to know what is going on and reporters hop on board because it's a great story. I can tell you that none of the reporters have done the math. In one story, these big players said that they sometimes lose money. Sounds a bit like gambling to me. Generally, the reported win results look good, so perhaps it is all true that spending more can even out the odds, but one might actually run the math before jumping to conclusions. In the end, the game... [ More ]

Comment #34

KY Floyd — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 02:32:51 GMT

punishing all the stores in the commonwealth because of a few rotten tomatoes that allowed the high roller customers to print their tickets is not right

How are they punishing other stores? By limiting them to 5,000 tickets per day in a particular game? I'd be extremely surprised if even the stores that sell the most tickets sell that many in a week, let alone a day. Before the jackpot passed the $2 million mark it increased by a maximum of just over 50k during 4 days pf sales. Assuming that... [ More ]

Comment #33

sully16 — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 01:06:20 GMT

I am really curious as to who penned the term loophole, it's like theres a push to turn loophole into a dirty word, there was no loophole, they just made it harder for people to spend their money faster.

Comment #32

rdgrnr — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:54:12 GMT

I'm hip, RL, it's just a couple people here that are into the class warfare thing that Obama is pushin.

They consider anyone who's been successful the enemy. Everyone should be a low-class failure like them.

Rich people are evil and should share their money with them.

Parasites.

Comment #31

RL-RANDOMLOGIC — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:35:19 GMT

rdgrnr

When someone wins a PB jackpot then about 99% goes to one player. Even if someone played a million

tickets in a 6-46 game they still only have a 1 in 9.3 chance of hitting a JP. It's amazing how hard it

is to pick one of 9 and select the correct one. Every one who plays could hit the JP which would mean

these people would lose big time. I still don't see any problem with this game, could someone explain

to me what the big deal is? Anyone playing, even if it's only one... [ More ]

Comment #30

greenlantern — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:53:28 GMT

Realistically, the company who designed the game for the Massachusetts Lottery should have anticipated this.

Comment #29

rdgrnr — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:00:30 GMT

...small rollers (is there such a thing?)...

Yeah, LOL, there is such a thing.

It's people who choose to play only a buck or two bychoice because that's their strategy.

Then there's the people who play only a buck or two by necessity like ScoobyGoofjim.

ScoobyGoof is mad at the world and rich people in particular, because he's been a failure at life and knows he will always be a Small Roller LOL.

Him needs a nanny to take care of him cuz him's helpless. Poor ScoobyGoof.... [ More ]

Comment #28

maringoman — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:31:03 GMT

I favor both republicans and democrats. To me it depends ala independent.

I take issue with the point that you made that if 3 organizations win 68% of the winnings then a change needs to be made. I disagree. Surely even if they win a lot they have still taken a big risk on their money. Its still gambling even if they are highrollers. Its like saying that if Bill Gates with all his gazzillions decided to spend $100,000,000 inorder to hit tonights powerball jackpot then its unfair. Its not, eve... [ More ]

Comment #27

rdgrnr — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:58:56 GMT

Ah, jeeeze, has it been 3 months already?

ScoobyGoofjim comes in every 3 months or so to piss and moan and whine about how terrible his life is as a pansy-ass lib.

Well, get over it ScoobyGoof, things'll get better after the next election when we throw the Girly-Man in Chief out on his pansy-ass.

So in the meantime quit whining and go get a job, ScoobyGoof. Oh, I'm sorry, there are no jobs now that your hero is in charge.

Oh well, just stay on welfare then, ScoobyGoof. It's all free... [ More ]

Comment #26

ScubaGolfJim — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:38:44 GMT

And some people actually are as stooopid as they sound... err... type. Maybe spend more of your time on the Faux News or Mudge Report or Not-Bright Bart sites. You'd fit in real well there, except their types are usually the ones that oppose lotteries... but also seem to love the casinos. So why do their type always cry out about lotteries being a sin. Take Alabama... has dog racing and other types of gambling, but the right-wingnuts in the state vote down the lottery because it was a sin. Typic... [ More ]

Comment #25

HaveABall — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:36:50 GMT

Well, dallascowboyfan, each state makes up their own lottery rules. Perhaps MA's rule is that a lottery retailer's employee cannot print their own tickets. If so, winning tickets will be honored, yet retailer's licence will be suspended or revoked.

Comment #24

Telco Tech — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:30:17 GMT

The whole idea of the lottery is that many pay the prizes for the few winners. If Mass. didn't do something the game would be destroyed. The idea is to chance an amount that doesn't exceed your return. I've put sets of numbers in the hundreds together, and IF I could afford to sustain that level of betting in the hundreds every day I MIGHT get a good return. I just don't have the money to take those kinds of chances.

When I did win a prize big enough to require a trip down to the lottery offi... [ More ]

Comment #23

jarasan — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:14:56 GMT

Hey, really, I didn't know that! Thank You!

Let me give another analogy:

The state governments run by leftist Democrats are like SEPTICEMIC PLAGUES.

Better?

Oh yeah, by the way when you win one of those big prizes does the federal govt. have anything do with the Massachusetts State Lottery

Comment #22

rdgrnr — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:06:11 GMT

Some people want the government to run every aspect of their lives, like a nanny.

Those people are destroying this country.

Those people would prefer that everybody win the jackpot once a month to make it seem fair to them.

We can't operate by what seems fair to the where's my free stuff? crowd.

We have to go by what is fair.

Comment #21

Littleoldlady — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:49:42 GMT

The game has to seem fair or no one will play it. It is business plain and simple. Whether you are aware of it or not, many states have some sort of rule in place to block those high rollers (I'll call them). In one state which I will not name, a player cannot tie up a lottery terminal for more than 1 hour and it has to be 1 terminal. Also no one player can tie up all of the lottery terminals at the same time in the same place.

These little rules are in place to insure the integrity of the g... [ More ]

Comment #20

rdgrnr — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:44:02 GMT

Yes, but Mass is a democrat state.

So naturally everything is going to be ass-backwards.

Just like the federal government.

Comment #19

Littleoldlady — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:41:18 GMT

The federal government has NOTHING to do with this at all. It is the state.

Comment #18

tiggs95 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:13:58 GMT

Why do moths and flies hang around garbage cans ........and ridge?..

Comment #17

sully16 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:34:49 GMT

Hopefully they won't dress up like Indians if they do.

Comment #16

sully16 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:33:23 GMT

Dallas , they didn't do anything wrong, When you put a cap on how much money a store can make at one time, well, sounds like whoops, I almost said the S WORD.

I'll just call it ocialism

Comment #15

Raven62 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:00:52 GMT

How many Laws would be Violated Today: If All the Lottery Equipment was Thrown into Boston Harbor

Comment #14

Raven62 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:52:41 GMT

Massachusetts Lottery Players Unite: Boycott the Massachusetts Lottery Games

Comment #13

Raven62 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:48:25 GMT

Because the Government is Punitive

Comment #12

Raven62 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:46:30 GMT

They want people to Play the Games, but they don't want Anyone to Win

Comment #11

surimaribo24 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:13:52 GMT

verry well said.

Comment #10

RL-RANDOMLOGIC — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:45:38 GMT

I don't see anything worng that needs to be fixed or discontinued. These people sock a lot of money

into the game and are still taking risk. When the article says they cashed in 187 winning tickets and

won a little over 200K then it works out to about 1100 dollars per ticket cashed in. Once you consider

how many tickets they probably purchased to do this I doubt they came out rich. The person who buys a

single ticket and wins $10.00 I would say got a bigger ROI per ticket then they d... [ More ]

Comment #9

rooster8786 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:22:46 GMT

Leave it to the state to legally steal from the players, and yet when players, LEGALLY, learn how to take advantage of a state given advantage, the state shuts it down.

Comment #8

maringoman — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:05:04 GMT

I agree but still cant believe this is happening. Is it even legal? punishing all the stores in the commonwealth because of a few rotten tomatoes that allowed the high roller customers to print their tickets is not right. I suspect this game will be discontinued when they realize that their new rule cannot stand after a lawsuit.

I am no lawyer but I feel this new rule interferes with interstate commerce which is contrary to the Constitution and therefore it is null and void.

Comment #7

dpoly1 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:51:55 GMT

I can't be a part of Government, I am not goofy enough!

Government can't control it's own spending so they make rules for individuals .............

On a positive note .................... I will stop by the Bentley store in Pittsburgh to look today ..............

........................... just in case ..................... $55 million or so after taxes

Comment #6

dallascowboyfan — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:47:46 GMT

Comment #5

dallascowboyfan — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:46:48 GMT

What I don't get is why did they suspended the license of the store where they worked part-time if they did nothing wrong/illegal why punish the other merchants

Comment #4

sully16 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:40:32 GMT

Are you kidding me ? They put a spending cap on the amount you can play at each store, when they themselves can't control spending. Sounds like big government screwing over small business. They need to let people spend their money the way they see fit.

Comment #3

jarasan — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:26:42 GMT

Eventually they will change the rules. This is just the first bureaucratic move to appease the little guy . P.S. it is the plague . The federal govt. is like the the bubonic plague.

Comment #2

RJOh — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:21:39 GMT

They really didn't eliminate the opportunities for big spenders to buy thousands of lottery tickets, they just made it harder. If any of them do buy that amount of tickets for a future drawing, you can be sure they will be more discrete and avoid reporters like the plaque.

Comment #1

jarasan — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:35:48 GMT

Like I said: Not for long .

https://www.lotterypost.com/news/234736/2153048

Massachusetts Lottery closes loophole after big wins

Lottery Post — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:09:36 GMT

It was great while it lasted, for the few who knew the trick and had the money to take advantage of it.

A lottery game in Massachusetts, known as Cash WinFall, had a quirk in it. Every three months or so, if the WinFall jackpot exceeded $2 million but nobody picked all six of the randomly-chosen winning numbers, the money in the jackpot pool would go to people who picked only four or five correct numbers.

The Massachusetts Lottery said the odds of picking all six numbers were 1 in 9,366,81... [ More ]