Mass. Lottery ends some scratch ticket games before grand prizes paid out

Comment #23

Soledad — Sat, 02 Dec 2017 16:57:34 GMT

Where I live all the time everyday. Within ten blocks from where I live a 5 million and 10 million $20 scratcher have been sold. Scratch offs are big where I live.

Comment #22

Ron5995 — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 13:42:42 GMT

Thank you! It's posts like yours that make LP worthwhile.

Since you're not able to post the link ( Placing grand-prize tickets in instant games is an elaborate process ), here it is on your behalf:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-illinois-lottery-payout-placement-met-20161209-story.html

The last portion of the article regarding large batches of tickets knowingly being distributed with the odds of winning top tier prizes of exactly zero, is most telling, and, in my view, disturbing... [ More ]

Comment #21

eddessaknight — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 04:33:12 GMT

Huge Prize offerings $$$ in; Big Print; invalidate in small print.

Pro-Player FaiGgame Advocatus

Eddessa_Knight with Lucky Light

Comment #20

LiveInGreenBay — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 00:47:18 GMT

Who in their right mind would spend 20 bucks for a lottery ticket

Comment #19

Cassie8620 — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 00:25:03 GMT

LOL

Music*

Yep. It shouldn't do that.Not if all of the huge/big prizes are not paid out yet smdh.

I always stick with Pick 3 and Pick 4. and at times MM (sometimes.

Comment #18

Soledad — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 22:50:00 GMT

You're right reorder and also if a game is sold out or expired then the stores themselves can't get refund for unsold tickets already ordered in store, and again grand prizes are checked only after claimed as won or scratched off . So what do they do with that and when is smart question also.

Comment #17

beret32 — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 22:31:24 GMT

This is an informative thread. :)

A 2016 Chicago Tribune article says this about knowing if winners have been distributed:

While the firms don't know where the winning tickets are, the Tribune discovered the state and private firms sometimes know where they are not - part of an elaborate and opaque process to place the winning tickets into instant games. For example, in one big-prize game, the lottery knew there were no grand prizes in the first 16.8 percent of tickets printed. In an... [ More ]

Comment #16

Ron5995 — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 21:29:14 GMT

You're correct regarding the prize structure must be the same as the original batch. However, the size of the reorder is immaterial, if the game is later closed prior to selling out the reordered batch. For example, a lottery notices Game X has awarded, or is expected to, more top tier prizes than desired. Lottery could wait it out and hope for the best, or reorder more as a hedge.

Reorder boosts the number of top prizes so it won't fall to zero. That allows for current ticket stock, which ma... [ More ]

Comment #15

Ron5995 — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 21:16:41 GMT

How do you know this for sure? Just assuming? Lotteries and/or its vendor(s) seemingly know where the prizes are. In PA, instant packs can auto-settle when 90% of low-tier winners have been cashed. Presumably, based on that and some other factors, there's a database of where every prize is in packs. While one can debate what entity (ie. lottery, vendor, etc) specifically knows what, the information exists.

Comment #14

Bleudog101 — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 21:16:03 GMT

Newest Christmas scratcher there when you pull up available prizes says on bottom of page based on sales of 12,000,000 tickets, actually higher than that but you get the drift.

Comment #13

Bleudog101 — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 21:12:34 GMT

If you go to their website, and I'm sure other state's too, it has in fine print the amount of tickets that are to be sold for their respective odds. It is no small number either so when I go home to Mass. I don't play scratchers and really never here in KY or IN either.

Comment #12

Ron5995 — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 21:09:36 GMT

Closing games is very suspicious. While it's understandable that there's limited retailing space, there's an obligation to allow for a decent amount of sell-through to better ensure a fair amount of winnings is returned to the players. Failure to do so could reduce overall payback to far below the advertised amount (ie. 60%-75% typical). If a lottery is finding itself with too much inventory, they need to boost marketing and/or reduce the number of game offerings.

Comment #11

positano — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:06:39 GMT

Original Post by Ron5995

Glad to see mainstream media investigate this. [...]

While numbers rigging (ie. Hot Lotto) scandals have received much press, there's likely far more cheating of players happening in the instant scratch off realm. For all U.S. lotteries combined, closing instant scratch off games early and other questionable activity (ie. insiders buying known winning packs; pulling individual packs known to contain a top prize winner) could potentially be shorting players hundre... [ More ]

Comment #10

positano — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 19:48:53 GMT

Original Post by beret32

[...]

The article oddly didn't mention that, I believe, many state lotteries know how many winners they've distributed, even if they don't know where. And they know if this number is less than the number that would eventually be distributed if all tickets were distributed. That part of the story would be more interesting.

I can assure you that Lotteries do NOT know how many winners they've distribuited. They order the game printed from one of their vendors, wh... [ More ]

Comment #9

beret32 — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 19:15:42 GMT

I'm in favor of investigating suspicious activity, but closing games early isn't suspicious. It's necessary. The state can't be forced to print and distribute every ticket. They can't force retailers to buy them. Even if they were somehow forced to distribute all of them they could lose money if the tickets refuse to sell. And then what? Do they stop creating new games because there is no retail space left? Retailers can't discount the price of the tickets to move the merchandise (because then r... [ More ]

Comment #8

Ron5995 — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 18:48:01 GMT

Glad to see mainstream media investigate this. Sales of instant scratch offs far exceeds that of all numbers games combined, including Mega Millions and Powerball, for many lotteries. For PA Lottery, instant scratch offs account for around 68% of all sales. Or to put another way, $2 of every $3 wagered.

While numbers rigging (ie. Hot Lotto) scandals have received much press, there's likely far more cheating of players happening in the instant scratch off realm. For all U.S. lotteries combined... [ More ]

Comment #7

Soledad — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 17:19:38 GMT

Happens all the time in New York. Don't forget the first people to become rich are the people running it. Scratch offs are a good way to take in a reality check though. Dreams and all that. They're usually the first way people start to play, so really if anything they're just a marketing tool. Sure also, with some grand prize winners here and there who's to say anything.

Comment #6

Dracos — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 12:36:32 GMT

The reduction in sales is partially due to how rapidly some sales are releasing games. When a state releases 4-5 new scratch games a month, it is only natural that the games are going to start competing for sales and shelf life. FL Lottery reduces $5 tickets so often that this happens with those games very often. The $25 game is released yearly, so at least it isn't competing with other tickets. We have a game that's active and been out since 2010.

Some lotteries pick up and destroy active b... [ More ]

Comment #5

beret32 — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 06:50:17 GMT

The Massachusetts lottery page has them listed for $20.

Comment #4

fellini — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 06:28:28 GMT

How much does the Billion Dollar Bonanza scratch off cost

Comment #3

beret32 — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 05:01:11 GMT

The article headline should be State appropriately runs their lottery . The article tries to make it sound like a scandal, but the state is doing what it's supposed to:

- Stopping sales if the tickets aren't selling. The limited retail space should be filled with merchandise that is selling. That retail space costs the retailers money. And it costs the state for sales lost to other merchandise that would sell.

- Stopping sales if they are sold out. Well of course!

- They can't... [ More ]

Comment #2

music* — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 04:30:19 GMT

I will stick with the draw games. Power Ball and Mega Millions.

Comment #1

fellini — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 03:39:58 GMT

The cost of the scratch off ticket could be a reason that the scratch off ticket didn't sell that well.

Mass. Lottery ends some scratch ticket games before grand prizes paid out

Lottery Post — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 02:36:11 GMT

Includes video report

It's an enticing gamble: a few bucks for a chance to win $1 million, $4 million, or more. But all of those big, bright prize amounts we see stamped on scratch tickets won't necessarily be given away.

Lottery players at Kiki's Kwik Mart in Brighton, Massachusetts, did not receive this news well. It's not really fair is it, replied one frequent player. And another told us it's a little unfair they can pull the million and not put it back into the game that people have s... [ More ]