Amid delay in new lottery policy, repeat winners keep on winning

Comment #18

maximumfun — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 19:04:00 GMT

It really isnt surprising that states like Mass would have multiple winners. They post a nice listing on their website of which scratch offs have been in play for the longest with the top prizes still in play. There is a couple in my building that have as their retirement hobby - going from Mass lottery seller to seller just looking for specific tickets that are older with top prizes in play. So far, they have augmented their retirement by over 70k each year that we have lived here. Pretty amazi... [ More ]

Comment #17

Bleudog101 — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 18:44:04 GMT

IDK about lottery write offs per se. At the casino you get a win/loss statement if you request one to offset your winnings. This will come in handy for me this year...won just over $9K @ the casino a week ago.

Comment #16

eddessaknight — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 05:22:21 GMT

Thanks Stack, for an accurate tax report

Comment #15

Stack47 — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 04:37:06 GMT

Actually you can write off up to the amount you won. If you win $1200, you can itemize and deduct $1200 using the long form (schedule A). Because we lose our standard deduction using that method, the winnings should be over $6500.

Comment #14

tomdemp — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 22:52:57 GMT

This story brings to mind people who win the lottery and if they win over a certain amount (I think $50K) can write off loses on their taxes against the taxes they pay on winnings.

If I win I plan to do this.

What are other people's thoughts and experience with this

Comment #13

lucky6025 — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 15:36:50 GMT

Yeah that winfall game was figured out by one man that had used his plans in another state and after he started in Mass winfall MIT students did the same.Game continued for along time after State knew about it, because State was making money off it.This state Mass always complains about not making enough money when Profits are nearly a Billion dollars.Money from Mass lottery was set up for schools and later changed to general fund, so politicians could use that money for anything.

Comment #12

RJOh — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 15:09:54 GMT

Massachusetts discontinued their Winfall game for the same reasons, and the winners weren't doing anything wrong. They just spent a lot of money smartly. If the state wants to know what they are doing, pay them. After all, it's their intellectual property.

Comment #11

mjwinsmith — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 14:00:53 GMT

Comment #10

Soledad — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 04:27:56 GMT

Honestly with scratch offs, I would say it s literally impossible to win that much that many times over such a short period of time frame. I have to agree with the lottery. There are people who cash tickets at discounted prices. It s d - near impossible to win that consistently with scratch offs. I have and at times still scratch, but I used to scratch a lot. And it s not just luck imho.

Comment #9

Tucker Black — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 04:00:49 GMT

Great article, in case I needed another reason NOT to buy scratch tickets

Comment #8

geerod2001 — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 01:38:07 GMT

Bingo sir

Comment #7

grwurston — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 23:59:30 GMT

Scratch off tickets have been cracked before. Maybe he figured it out. Sounds like sour grapes on the part of the Mass. lottery. They don't mind taking in the money, but let someone start winning a lot of it and its . If some one could do the same thing with the Pick 3 or Pick 4, they would make you out to be the biggest cheater ever, because you know, statistically it can't be done.

https://www.wired.com/2011/01/ff-lottery

Comment #6

hlamb — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 19:22:49 GMT

These are inside jobs. Someone on the inside most likely from the company that manufactures these tickets have contacted these outsiders and are sending the winners to certain stores while also letting their cohorts know what roll and what number ticket. That is the only possible way unless someone within the Lottery's office itself is sending tickets to certain vendors for kickbacks. What's in the dark will eventually come to the light.

Comment #5

Think — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 18:50:37 GMT

While I agree that this activity looks suspicious, if they withhold the winnings and cant prove wrongdoing then they should have to pay interest on the winnings during the withholding period when they finally pay out the prizes.

Comment #4

noise-gate — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 16:34:30 GMT

Given that there have been winners of lottery jackpots that have said It was God's plan. Ali could also claim that it is Allah the Benevolent who has been behind his winning streak. As the saying goes what's good for the goose, is good for the gander! Right

Comment #3

music* — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 15:46:04 GMT

This could be one more arrow in the quiver. Prevent fraud

Comment #2

notmyday — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 15:15:50 GMT

The simple fix is not to allow employees or owners to buy tickets at there store Indiana has or had that in place from the start not sure if that is still in effect but that would be a way to help from fraud from the store owners or employees.

Comment #1

music* — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 14:53:41 GMT

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck it is probably a duck.

I am thinking that many other State lotteries are looking at Massachusetts for leadership in this case.

The Lottery could limit the offenders to only sell draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions.

Amid delay in new lottery policy, repeat winners keep on winning

Lottery Post — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 14:00:28 GMT

It's been a charmed decade for Ali Jaafar. The Watertown man keeps hitting it big on the Massachusetts State Lottery, winning millions of dollars from thousands of scratch tickets.

For the past two years, Jaafar has held the title of the state's winningest lottery player. But he is just one of hundreds of individuals who repeatedly cash in on the Massachusetts lottery.

The lottery does not know how some of these so-called frequent winners manage to win so often. Many of these players hold... [ More ]