Poaching for winning tickets

Reply #37

James1 — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:57:03 GMT

Not a bad idea on taking the winner home. I have often won $100 at the store only to blow it 5 minutes later.

Reply #36

Boney526 — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 22:41:49 GMT

I heard about this.... I hope it starts soon, and not too many people catch on to it

Reply #35

wish626 — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 21:52:31 GMT

I feel like I have a new strategy for poachers. I've been saving any particular ticket that I last won on and not cashing it in.

I take it with me for the next time I visit an ITVM or one of my regular stores. If I feel like I need to, I'll use it either to show a win or even just to show a different ticket instead of the ticket I'm really playing.

Taking the last winning ticket home also helps psychologically knowing that I have something to cash in if/when I want.

Reply #34

duckman — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:43:13 GMT

Unless you have permission of the store owner to use a camera as you describe in his/her store, you would run into legal problems with the camera in a remote location within the store. This is different than having one of those pen cameras in your pocket and recording video (even those on-person video cameras can run into legal problems in some cases). Another note, any device that records audio/sound with the video can be a problem in states with all party knowledge laws that require those bein... [ More ]

Reply #33

CarHauler — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:45:37 GMT

That is my biggest problem. I have favorite stores, favorite clerks, and favorite machines. I try and build good rapport with the clerks, but you never know which ones are telling the truth, and which ones are trying to sell you bad tickets. You also have to realize that if the clerk is interested enough to keep up, then they might be buying up the big winners! One of my favorite clerks is decidedly silent about the rash of $500 recent winners at his stores which are displayed. He swears that th... [ More ]

Reply #32

time*treat — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:32:12 GMT

I am considering hanging around the store for a few hours one day and experiment poaching and see what kind of results I get.

Probably at best, some unkind looks (and making old ladies say bad words) -- at worst, a purse or two upside the head.

Better not let 'em see where you parked your car, either.

Reply #31

CarHauler — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:24:07 GMT

You are right on that one. I keep mulling over the idea of getting a job at a gas station. I half jokingly told the owner of one store that I would work for $5 an hour cash, and $5 worth of lottery tickets per hour. He did not like the idea of hiring someone who plays, because he evidently had some problems with people who were in his employ previously.

I have had my suspicions about some of these places where I always seem to lose. What used to be a favorite is now one I rarely play at anymo... [ More ]

Reply #30

ameriken — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:32:31 GMT

I think a few states have this already...Colorado has it as well, they call it 'second chance drawing', and it's usually for the grand prize that was offered in the scratch-offs. If you mail in your ticket or enter the ticket # online, they'll do a drawing after they've pulled the tickets. I've heard that you've got pretty good odds of winning because not everyone enters. At least the losing tix have a chance at winning something.

Reply #29

TheOtherOne — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 03:54:45 GMT

They say that the odds are overall and not litterally every 4 tickets or whatevr, but either way I am with you: I think they regulate it how they want.

Reply #28

Butwhatif — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 02:38:34 GMT

when i on vacation in North Carolina i bought a whole book of a $5 dollar game... won two $5 prizes and the last ticket was $500... dont ever take that 1 in 4.74 seriously, the lottery regulates themself.

Reply #27

James1 — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 02:33:09 GMT

Today while I was in Publix scratching there was a lady playing $3 dollar Bingo. While I was winning and busy with other tickets she was losing and had lost 4 in a row from what I observed. I was thinking about buying the next Bingo but was still scratching my other ticket. She makes it to the machine first and gets the 5th ticket, a $10 winner. What was an overall 1 in 4 game had a 1 in 1.3 or so chance of winning on the next ticket as I figured, due to all the previous losers. I am considering... [ More ]

Reply #26

dallascowboyfan — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:03:33 GMT

This reminds me of a song that came out in the 80's I always feel like somebody's watching me Rockwell

Reply #25

TheOtherOne — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 15:49:50 GMT

Hey, survival of the fittest.

Gotta watch your back.

Reply #24

soothsayer — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 15:37:36 GMT

Ha Ha Ha.....you guys make me laugh !!! You think that it is OK to poach off of other players yet complain that others do it to you in some other form. BOTTOM LINE.....KARMA IS A B..CH !!! GOLDEN RULE !!! Why don't you guys get a conscience

Reply #23

TheOtherOne — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:16:13 GMT

I fully agree with you.

Its one thing to have access to that knowledge and all that she does, but its completely another to make customers wait when they are in a hurry or need to be helped.

The state lottery website probably has the rules for retailers accessible to where you can read them. I skimmed through TN's retailers rules the other day just to look and it's good to know they are there. I may go back and look if I can find anything about winners that work at a store, but since it ha... [ More ]

Reply #22

dr65 — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:54:39 GMT

lol! Work and scratching tickets should not mix. In fact, I've heard more than a few counter clerks complain or remark that the *boss* does not

want them scratching tickets while on shift. Some do not care, some do it out of sight of the cameras, some just do it regardless of the rules out

in plain sight. A lady at my local store who works behind the courtesy desk balancing books, doing register, running the lottery numbers, activating

gift cards..etc, etc, etc. Obviously she is very, v... [ More ]

Reply #21

TheOtherOne — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:21:03 GMT

Hey, everyone has to have a method!

Like others have said, just watch your back!

There is an employee of a large grocery chain (he is a bagger) that constantly watches people scratch tickets. it is so obvious he does it. One day I bought a $2 jumbo and this kid SWOOPS in right behind me and buys one or two. I had been playing for a few minutes so he had obviously seen me (I saw him eyeballing my buying the tickets WHILE he bagged).

The worst part is, he doesnt scratch them in front of m... [ More ]

Reply #20

time*treat — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:31:45 GMT

(I thought 37 bucks was a lot of money back then)

It was a lot of money. Forty-plus years ago, $37 would have bought you one hundred gallons of gasoline. Today? Less than 15 gallons, in many places.

Reply #19

dr65 — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:05:20 GMT

This is very true. In PA they recently changed..again...the verification mode. They removed letter codes from tickets. The play field is

now missing what many people looked for...winning letters. Losing letters were Q, B, P, Z, K....a quick scratch in the right area of the ticket

would reveal instantly if the ticket was a winner or loser, without playing the game.

A store clerk told me they go through the trash and check the discarded tickets all the time. They said one day, they found

Reply #18

GiveFive — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:12:08 GMT

nothing wrong with having an edge

So true!! With all things lottery, players need any edge they can get!!

As long as poachers arent obnoxious, then what harm is done to anybody? Go get an edge.......

Reply #17

sully16 — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:46:16 GMT

I rea this thread today, I went to the store to get my daily 3 and took notice of the scratchers, I just smiled, your not the only poacher...

nothing wrong with having an edge. good luck to you.

Reply #16

James1 — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:42:57 GMT

I remember when those green FLA lottery stations had the built in trashcans I used to go and empty those out each night I found quite a bit of winning tickets especially on the $1 and $2 games. Sometimes older people playing the Bingo games just cant see if they won or not.

Reply #15

Raven62 — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:45:09 GMT

Don't overlook the Trash Bucket: You might find a Winner or Two that have been Discarded.

If the Discarded Ticket is Misprinted: It could look like a Loser, but when Checked at the Terminal: It's a Winner

Reply #14

luisM — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:14:03 GMT

Just ask the clerk, if you have a good relationship with the clerk, the clerk can tell you what was won.

Reply #13

GiveFive — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:49:07 GMT

Here's a fun thing to watch for if you live in New Jersey and play scratch-off's.

In the near future Jersey will institute a new game for losing scratch off's to become winners. I'm not really sure of the details of it, but the jist of it all is the player has to keep his/her losing tickets and mail them in to see if they become winners.

How many losing scratch-offs do you think will be mailed in by gas station owners, deli owners, pizza shop owners and the like? People that scratch a lose... [ More ]

Reply #12

James1 — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 03:52:19 GMT

Haha ! As a player this does become a major turn off and your luck starts to dwindle afterwards. But I imagine for the troll it does increase his odds of purchasing a winning ticket. Kind of like those immigrant gas station owners who claim millions in lottery wins annually from their own stores after watching droves of customers lose on tickets.

Reply #11

B$Rizzle — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:37:54 GMT

LOL thats funny. Although I have to admit, Ive been guilty of pulling sneak attacks. If I did win, I definitely wouldnt cash it there while the other dude is still there. Id probably put it in my pocket and cash it somewhere else.

People that scratch tickets in the store while others are hovering around the lotto lines are asking for it.

Reply #10

Keystone — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:41:17 GMT

Awesome

Reply #9

dr65 — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:21:17 GMT

Keystone! I agree! Take the money and run. I hit 3 rockets, won $800 and cashed out. I wasn't going to stick around and see if it was going

to give more and if it did to someone else, I didn't know. I was happy.

Reply #8

dr65 — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:15:24 GMT

They always do...there's one guy at my local grocery store who seems to always need sugar when we're both there at the same time.

I've already turned around to see him quickly turn back to trying to decide what type of sugar to buy and have also seen him there when other people

are purchasing tickets.

The machine is positioned by the sugar aisle, right off at an angle to easily see the whole panel of instant selections and what a player is

selecting. He's not waiting in line, he's w... [ More ]

Reply #7

Keystone — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:14:22 GMT

I view slot machines different than lottery numbers. If a machine is cold, my advice is to not stay sitting on it. It means its not time for that machine to pay out yet.

If you do try a machine that someone just played (and they lost on it), take the seat and wait about a minute before inserting your money.

If a machine is hot then there are 2 options; either take the money and run if you win, or keep playing it if it stays hot but run with 75% of your winnings.........never give the mach... [ More ]

Reply #6

dr65 — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:02:32 GMT

lol GiveFive, that's a good story too and it rings true. Years ago while in a casino, I casually noticed the guy near me kept putting in but wasn't

winning anything big at all...some here, some there. He was at that machine quite awhile and sometimes he'd utter a complaint and eventually just

got frustrated and left the machine. Well, someone slid in there right after he left and did not play too long before hitting triple flaming 7's - 3

sets of them. I remember looking at the payout a... [ More ]

Reply #5

dr65 — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:50:09 GMT

James! I hope you didn't take offense to my post....I was kidding!

I do not see anything wrong with watching what is played and discarded...the low down people are the ones with no shame who approach you

with questions..can't they keep it low key? Like NOT SPEAK?

If I see someone hitting a machine like crazy on one ticket and not turning in a winner and then leaving, sure enough that ticket will be my next

choice.

I think you misunderstood what I was saying and if I gave you the i... [ More ]

Reply #4

Raven62 — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:00:47 GMT

Look Around when You're in the Store: Someone May Be Watching You

Reply #3

GiveFive — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:35:40 GMT

James1,

I enjoyed your story. IMHO you did nothing wrong. It took me way back to when I was young. A long time ago, I was told that something similar is done in gambling casino's with slot machines. I've never done it, but I heard about it after I won a small jackpot playing a slot.

Forty plus years ago, I was playing a slot machine in Harrah's casino in Lake Tahoe. I had been playing it for a while, (I dont remember how long I was playing this particular machine) but I was not winning any... [ More ]

Reply #2

James1 — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:39:33 GMT

I certainly agree with you that this is indeed stooping low this was the first time ive ever tried this. I have seen other stalkers in stores and those people are just plain creeps. They have the audacity to ask you how much you have won and what ticket you are playing and the # of the ticket. As I said I originally wanted to buy a Gold Rush anyway but im sure anyone else here would be equally curious to know if the person in front of you wins or not so you don't waste your money, say if he were... [ More ]

Reply #1

dr65 — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 04:27:33 GMT

NO! I wouldn't dream of stooping so low...it's almost stalker-ish.

JUST KIDDING!

Seriously though, just do it in a way that is subtle..if that is possible. Most times you have nothing to worry about because once these ticket

junkies go into a state of frenzy, there isn't much else they do notice except that they need that next ticket.

It's certainly not your fault they only carry $100 on them and have to leave the machine after 5 losers and leave the winner in there for you.

Go ge... [ More ]

Poaching for winning tickets

James1 — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 04:03:31 GMT

So I was at the store today standing in line at the instant vending machine waiting to get a $20 Gold Rush. The last person behind me buys the ticket I was about to buy so I decided to just watch him scratch it and see if he wins before I buy one. He scratched it in 10 seconds, did not win, and proceeded to buy another. I also watched him scratch that ticket and lose again. So I jumped at the opportunity and bought the next ticket. Won $50 !

While Im standing in line to cash the ticket, the s... [ More ]