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Few filing claims in $4.3 million lottery scam settlement; deadline Jan. 7News Story
Victims of the largest lottery scam in U.S. history are expected to pocket only a small fraction of a $4.3 million settlement because of a lack of applicants laying claim to the money, court records show. But it's not too late. Claims can be made online through Jan. 7 and those for $10 or less require no proof of purchase. Larger ones require receipts dating back as far as 14 years. If you're claiming more than $10 they sure made it difficult, said Craig Johnson, a Manson resident w
Jan 2, 2020, 12:09 pm - Todd - Lottery News

IT'S OFFICIAL: Tipton pleads guilty to rigging computerized lottery drawingsNews Story
The cyber security expert and brainpower behind a lottery rigging scandal that netted $2 million in illegal winnings from five state lotteries pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of ongoing criminal conduct charge. For the first time in an Iowa courtroom, Eddie Tipton admitted to playing a central role in the rigging scheme after more than two years of adamant denials in the face of mounting evidence against him. Pursuant a plea agreement, Tipton, 54, now faces spending up to 25 yea
Jun 29, 2017, 10:52 am - Todd - Lottery News

FBI missed rigged jackpot in 2006 before lottery scheme grewNews Story
Investigators were suspicious in 2006 when they heard that a rural Texas judge was trying to exchange $450,000 in consecutively marked bills. But Tommy Tipton, a Fayette County magistrate, told the FBI that his actions were innocent, if odd: He won the Colorado lottery but couldn't tell his wife because gambling was against their Christian faith. The FBI accepted the story and dropped its inquiry of Tipton, who soon bought a new truck and more property around the town of Flatonia, 110 miles (
Jun 19, 2017, 8:51 am - Todd - Lottery News

Hot Lotto multi-state lottery game to end in OctoberNews Story
By Todd Northrop Hot Lotto, a multi-state lottery draw game currently played in 14 states, will end this October. The final Hot Lotto drawing will be conducted on Saturday, Oct. 28. It is normal practice in the lottery industry to change your gaming mix and keep products fresh in the field. Based on overall performance after 15 years, it was time to make a change, West Virginia Lottery Director Alan Larrick said. The 14 lotteries that offer Hot Lotto are working on new game options that w
Aug 9, 2017, 8:15 am - Todd - Lottery News

Lottery rigging accomplice used Wisconsin payout for offshore tax scamNews Story
After Robert Rhodes collected a Wisconsin Lottery jackpot that had been rigged by his friend Eddie Tipton, he used the windfall for an investment scheme that produced another wave of undeserved government money, court records show. Rhodes, an accomplice in a scandal that has shaken state lotteries, recently explained under oath how he used the $783,000 payout to receive an additional $180,000 in bogus tax refunds. The Texas businessman sent his lottery winnings offshore to buy a phony insuran
Jul 6, 2017, 6:53 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Trials for Tipton brothers charged in lottery scandal delayedNews Story
Trials for brothers charged with ongoing criminal conduct in Iowa for allegedly fixing lottery games to collect jackpots have been delayed. District Court Judge Bradley McCall entered an order Wednesday moving the trial for Eddie Tipton to July 10. His trial had been scheduled to begin Feb. 13. His brother, Tommy Tipton, a former Texas justice of the peace, was facing trial Jan. 23. His trial date was moved to Sept. 11. Attorneys for both sides agreed to the rescheduling. Eddie Tipto
Jan 8, 2017, 10:58 am - Todd - Lottery News

First lawsuit in state lottery-fixing scandal seeks millionsNews Story
It was one of those feel-good moments that lotteries love to promote when Lucky Larry Dawson smiled as he claimed a $9 million jackpot, surrounded by kids and grandkids. But five years later, the Iowa man could become a key player in a barrage of litigation that threatens to cost state lotteries tens of millions of dollars in damages in an insider jackpot-rigging scandal. A Des Moines law firm filed a lawsuit Wednesday on Dawson's behalf seeking to declare that his Hot Lotto jackpot in May 20
Feb 4, 2016, 9:10 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Preliminary hearing rescheduled for Tommy Tipton in lottery rigging caseNews Story
The latest case in a large-scale lottery rigging scheme is headed to the courtroom next week. Tommy Tipton turned himself in earlier this month after being charged with ongoing criminal conduct. Tommy's brother is former Multi-State Lottery Association employee Eddie Tipton, who is currently serving prison time for tampering with lottery equipment. Police say Eddie rigged the Hot Lotto game electronically to win him a jackpot for $16 million in December of 2010. Prosecutors recently
Apr 22, 2016, 9:53 am - Todd - Lottery News

Alleged lottery scandal conspirator to enter new pleaNews Story
A Texas businessman charged in Iowa's lottery rigging investigation is scheduled to enter a new plea often a signal that a plea agreement has been reached with prosecutors. Robert Clark Rhodes pleaded not guilty in May to a felony charge of ongoing criminal conduct stemming from his alleged participation in a 2011 scheme to cash in on a Hot Lotto ticket worth more than $14 million. Rhodes, 48, reportedly is a close friend to Eddie Tipton, a former security official at the Urbandale-based Mult
Nov 14, 2016, 8:35 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Investigators find Tipton's software code to rig computerized lottery drawingsNews Story
Last remaining defense shattered as investigators find and decipher jackpot rigging code A lottery vendor for years manipulated drawings to enrich himself and associates by installing software code that allowed him to predict winning numbers on specific days of the year, Iowa investigators alleged Wednesday. Authorities called the newly obtained forensic evidence a breakthrough in the investigation of alleged jackpot-fixing scheme by Eddie Tipton, former security director of the Multi-Stat
Apr 7, 2016, 8:32 am - Todd - Lottery News