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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 - Lottery News

Illinois Lottery to again delay large payouts due to budget woesNews Story
Powerball and Mega Millions going bye-bye too Illinois Lottery players should prepare for a bit of deja vu with a twist if Illinois leaders don't pass a budget by Friday night. Not only will the popular Powerball and Mega Millions tickets be off the shelf, but also any big winners of any of the other draw or instant games will have to wait to collect their cash. The Illinois Lottery announced Tuesday that, without a budget or any special legislation, it won't be able to pay anyone winni
Jun 27, 2017, 7:40 pm - Lottery News

Lottery jackpot rigger's Iowa convictions dismissedNews Story
Has little practical impact on case The Iowa Supreme Court has dismissed the conviction of an Iowa man who just last week pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related with rigging lottery computers in order to win jackpots. The court issued a ruling Friday dismissing Eddie Tipton's conviction for tampering with lottery equipment. The ruling said the statute of limitations on one of the counts against him had expired and improper instructions given on the other count could have influe
Jun 23, 2017, 11:36 am - Lottery News

The 5 lottery jackpots Tipton and his friends stoleNews Story
Eddie Tipton, the now-infamous former security chief at the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), is accused of installing software on Random Number Generators that allowed him to predict winning combinations for drawings that occurred on three dates every non-leap year Nov. 23, Dec. 29 and May 27. So far, Tipton and his associates have been linked to winning tickets in five states between 2005 and 2011. Here are the details: Colorado, Nov. 23, 2005: Tipton's brother Tommy Tipton, a Tex
Jun 20, 2017, 8:01 am - 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 - Lottery News

Woman sues casino that offered her steak dinner instead of $43 million jackpotNews Story
Katrina Bookman captured national attention last year when she played a Sphinx Slot Machine at Resorts World Casino in Queens, New York, and it appeared as though she'd won $43 million which would have been the largest jackpot ever won on the slots in U.S. history. She excitedly snapped a selfie with the screen, believing her life was forever changed. But when Bookman came to collect her prize, a casino worker told her she hadn't actually won anything and offered her nothing but a complimenta
Jun 16, 2017, 6:45 pm - Lottery News

Florida man sues friend in dispute over $1M lottery ticketNews Story
A Lakeland, Florida, man is suing a friend who he says cheated him out of money from a $1 million lottery ticket. Court records show John Rhoades filed a lawsuit against Tyler Scott, and Scott's girlfriend Brittany Causey. Wells Fargo Bank is also listed as a defendant. Rhoades said he used his own money to purchase a winning Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket from a Wawa gas station located on Highway 98 in Lakeland. He says he showed Scott the winning ticket, and his friend told him i
Jun 15, 2017, 8:25 am - Lottery News

Mastermind of lottery fraud will explain how he rigged jackpotsNews Story
Lottery Post's warning to the lottery industry about computerized drawings, issued more than a decade ago, is about to be confirmed as fact by Eddie Tipton, a former Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) security director. A lottery programmer will tell investigators how he was able to use his position to rig state jackpots for years and he and his brother will repay $3 million in prizes they improperly claimed, under a plea agreement released Monday. Prosecutors will seek a 25-year priso
Jun 12, 2017, 9:21 pm - Lottery News

Best friend to testify against Tipton at July lottery rigging trialNews Story
It took Texas businessman Robert Rhodes more than a year to turn against his good old boy best friend after he realized that Eddie Tipton would not do a deal and tell prosecutors about how he had created an elaborate system to rig lotteries in five states. But despite fear for his safety, Rhodes is poised to give testimony at a trial scheduled for July 10 in Des Moines that prosecutors hope will finally put Tipton behind bars a decade after launching a scheme that netted $2 million in jackpot
Mar 31, 2017, 7:48 am - Lottery News

Illinois Lottery's private manager faces 2nd lawsuit alleging fraudNews Story
A second lawsuit has been filed accusing the Illinois Lottery's private manager of defrauding players after an investigation found the lottery did not award many of the biggest prizes in its largest instant ticket games. The lawsuit was filed last week in Cook County Circuit Court by two people who describe themselves as longtime scratch-off players, and like the first one filed last month in downstate St. Clair County it seeks class-action status to cover all players who bought tickets for t
Mar 25, 2017, 3:34 pm - Lottery News