Extradition trial begins this week in $16.5M Hot Lotto fraud case

Comment #26

RJOh — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 12:23:28 GMT

It could be something as simple as Tipton observing how seed numbers for the RNG was picked, something like a programmer debugging a game by using the same seed number each time so he can anticipate certain results. But if that's true then it would say MUSL was using a RNG that could have been written by a elementary school student to run a multi-million dollars lottery game.

They must have some facts that haven't been made public yet.

Comment #25

Stack47 — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 19:00:46 GMT

Maybe I wrongly assumed it, but I thought the ticket was a QP when the NY Attorney tried to validate it on behalf of a trust. One would think because this is a criminal proceeding, the story should have all the important details.

What I don't understand is this being called a $16.5M Hot Lotto fraud case

For starters (according to this story), they can't even prove without reasonable doubt that Tipton bought the ticket or what if any was Rhodes involvement. Does it really make any sense f... [ More ]

Comment #24

RJOh — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 12:26:03 GMT

The Hot Lotto people have a huge huge problem proving it's possible that Tipton rigged the drawing five or six weeks before and then actually rigged a lottery terminal to print the same numbers.

Any terminal can be made to print out any combination on a ticket by simple filling out a play slip, I do it all the time since I'm a system player.

What I don't understand is this being called a $16.5M Hot Lotto fraud case if $16.5M was the projected annuity pay out amount over thirty years. If t... [ More ]

Comment #23

HoLeeKau — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 01:25:34 GMT

Here in Idaho each ticket has the code for the machine it was bought from. Albertson's has 2 vending machines plus a terminal at the customer service counter, and each has a different code.

So when you do win and can't remember which store you purchased the ticket from, just go to each of your regular stores and buy a draw ticket (doesn't even have to be the same game) and look for numbers that match your winning ticket. Idaho has a string of 6 numbers, I imagine other states will have 6 - 8... [ More ]

Comment #22

KY Floyd — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 16:49:51 GMT

I don't think winners need to be anonymous, but this case is completely irrelevant to the matter. This entire case came about precisely because the lottery was unable to determine the actual identity of the winner. Whether or not that information would have been released to the public has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Comment #21

RJOh — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 11:20:00 GMT

When claiming a lottery prize a receipt is no better than a play slip for proving you are the owner of a winning ticket. The ticket is your receipt and it has all the information needed to investigate its creditability.

Comment #20

pickone4me — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 02:28:26 GMT

Even though I am a big critic of lottery transparency, it does winners no good to be drug through the public spot light in this economy.

Comment #19

chris-chase — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 00:43:28 GMT

This is a classic case of why winners should not be allowed to remain anonymous.

Comment #18

Teddi — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 23:55:22 GMT

You can get receipts for lottery tickets? Not only did I not know that but no one has EVER asked me if I wanted a receipt. I thought the ticket itself was the receipt.

Comment #17

Stack47 — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 21:26:27 GMT

This story probably explains best what happened before Tipton became a suspect. And this story before tells how bizarre it really was. It's only in the accusation stage and neither Tipton nor Rhodes were found guilty of any wrong doing. We'll find out how much real evidence they have against Rhodes after the Extradition hearing.

Comment #16

RJOh — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 18:26:44 GMT

I suppose you're right about them dressing it up, sounds like that would work on casual players and fools.

As long as tickets are being sold they couldn't care less about who's buying them. Casual players, fools or anybody else, it doesn't matter.

Comment #15

zinniagirl — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 11:04:18 GMT

Which is why, I always ask for a recipt! This way, I dont have to remember where it is there.

Comment #14

haymaker — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 01:09:25 GMT

RJOh,

I almost never see a live drawing Xcept PA has theirs on just before jeopardy, but I never have PA tix.

Jersey's draw comes on a diff. channel @ 7:59 PM and I always forget, by the time they draw MM and PB I'm asleep.

I was in Delaware to buy PB and MM cause they are anonymous, and bought a 10 draw advance on HOTLOTTO on a whim,

then looked it up here on LP, that's when I realized my mistake.

I suppose you're right about them dressing it up, sounds like that would... [ More ]

Comment #13

pickone4me — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 21:15:07 GMT

I found this part in the story

Lottery officials balked at paying the amount, saying certain security criteria wasn't met and prosecutors later determined that the attempt was an inside job by Tipton, at the time the security director for the Multi-State Lottery Association, an Iowa-based group that operates state lotteries, including the Hot Lotto.

How many times have my haters called me derogative things ( it is not a conspiracy theory anymore, it is now a conspiracy fact! ) for even men... [ More ]

Comment #12

pickone4me — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 21:10:08 GMT

Comment #11

Stack47 — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 19:27:22 GMT

They refuse to specify exactly what they're claiming or exactly when they claim it happened, Stowers said, referring to the tampering allegation. However, as best as we can tell, they're claiming that on November the 20th of 2010, five or six weeks before the December 29th, 2010 lottery try, he accessed the computer, or both of the computers that generate these numbers, the winning numbers, and somehow planted some kind of software on there that activated and generated the numbers, you know, fiv... [ More ]

Comment #10

jjtheprince — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 16:38:21 GMT

Git 'em!

About time they started busting some cheats! I hope they get hard time in a pound me in the a$$ maximum security prison

Comment #9

RJOh — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 11:31:31 GMT

Didn't you ever wonder enough about the game to try and watch a live drawing? Games don't try to hide the fact that they use a RNG, in fact most try to dress them up and make them look like more fun than one of those ping pong ball machine.

Comment #8

ThatScaryChick — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 08:54:09 GMT

I wish this was getting more media attention so that Hot Lotto would feel pressured to go to ball drawings.

Comment #7

itpmguru — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 05:24:08 GMT

I would not be so sure about that, they do it here in NC everyday

Comment #6

haymaker — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 01:25:03 GMT

I was playing this game in Delaware, then thanks to LP found it was RNG and that was it.

I just don't play !

RNG = JDP

Comment #5

propicks — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 17:40:59 GMT

How ridiculous is this!? I've always felt like anyone who creates an RNG will know exactly how it works and therefore can predict future results. It doesn't matter that there are good people working in or with the lotteries. They're no longer good once you find out they did something like this... The perceived image that all Commissions and others involved are trustworthy is complete crap. They're only ALLOWING/ENABLING things like this to happen by playing with RNG'S and ADM's. The ONLY way to... [ More ]

Comment #4

Teddi — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 16:30:45 GMT

I really hope I'm not denied my winnings if I can't remember what I was wearing on the day I bought the winning ticket. I probably wouldn't even be able to say where I bought it so presenting a signed ticket better be enough for them.

Comment #3

zephbe — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 14:48:50 GMT

air machines and ping pong balls are harder to rig.

Comment #2

MillionsWanted — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 14:22:39 GMT

A lesson to be learned by those who supports computer generated RNG draws.

Comment #1

Bleudog101 — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 14:06:22 GMT

Too bad the feds didn't outlaw RNG. This case gets weirder and weirder.

Extradition trial begins this week in $16.5M Hot Lotto fraud case

Lottery Post — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 13:00:21 GMT

Legal wheels turning after rigged Hot Lotto drawing uncovered

After months of investigation and legal wrangling, legal actions against two men accused of rigging a multi-state Hot Lotto computerized drawing are proceeding.

When Sugar Land, Texas, resident Robert C. Rhodes endorsed Eddie Tipton on the professional networking website LinkedIn, he deemed his friend and former business partner as someone very focused on the bottom line and someone he would work with again in a second.

The