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Minnesota will allow anonymous lottery prize claimsNews Story
New law comes into effect September 1 By Kate Northrop Minnesota will join the growing list of states that allow players to claim lottery prizes anonymously when a new law goes into effect granting winners of certain big prizes the option to withhold their names from the public record. On Friday, Governor Tim Walz signed a bill into law that will allow lottery winners of prizes over $10,000 to keep their names private. The bill passed through the Minnesota Legislature unanimously and
May 10, 2021, 1:38 pm - Lottery News

Florida considers partial lottery winner anonymityNews Story
Bill passes in the House, moves to the Senate By Kate Northrop Florida lawmakers introduced a new bill that could grant lottery winners of $250,000 or more a three-month period of anonymity before their identity is revealed to the public. A bill granting temporary anonymity to lottery winners of big prizes passed Wednesday in the House by a vote of 117 to 1. Now the measure heads to the Senate, but with little time left in the current legislative session, it is unlikely that it will bec
Apr 22, 2021, 9:44 am - Lottery News

Legislation allows Montana lottery winners to remain anonymousNews Story
The Montana Lottery sent out its first news release Friday listing major lottery prizes won this week without including the names of the winners, following a new law allowing prize winners to remain anonymous. The Legislature passed the bill last month and Gov. Greg Gianforte signed it into law on March 31. While the legislation did not have an effective date, lottery spokesperson Jennifer McKee said they followed the spirit of the legislation in only releasing the towns were the major pri
Apr 15, 2021, 11:42 am - Lottery News

South Carolina store owner who sold $1.5 billion Mega Millions ticket is arrestedNews Story
Retailer re-enters the spotlight after skirting thousands in tax evasion By Kate Northrop The South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) announced on Saturday that the store owner who sold the winning ticket for the $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot in 2018 has been arrested and charged with five counts of tax evasion. Chirag Jayanti Patel, 49, was found to have underreported $2.04 million in sales while operating KCP, Inc. under the KC Mart convenience store business in Greenville
Mar 15, 2021, 4:11 pm - Lottery News

New Hampshire wins appeal; Wire Act does not apply to lotteriesNews Story
By Kate Northrop The New Hampshire Lottery has prevailed against the US Department of Justice when a federal court ruled Wednesday that the Wire Act does not apply to lotteries, cementing the legality of participating in the state lottery over the Internet. In August of 2019, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) filed a notice of appeal following the decision by the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to find in favor of the New Hampshire Lottery in the long-awaite
Jan 24, 2021, 9:16 am - Lottery News

UK raises legal age to play the National Lottery from 16 to 18News Story
Law change goes into effect next year as the government reviews the lottery and gaming industry By Kate Northrop Starting next year, 16- and 17-year-olds will no longer be able to play the National Lottery. In a move to curb the potential development of harmful gambling habits in a rapidly evolving digital age, the UK government announced that they will be raising the legal age to play the lottery to 18. Following a review of gambling laws launched by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, th
Dec 8, 2020, 3:12 pm - Lottery News

Texas sheriff who won $85 million lottery jackpot arrested for tampering with video evidenceNews Story
Questions raised over timing of allegations so close to an election By Kate Northrop A lottery winner famous for his role as Sheriff on the now-canceled A E television show Live PD was indicted and arrested for allegedly tampering with video footage that captured crucial moments of the death of a suspect in police custody. Before Robert Chody paved his way to success as Sheriff of Williamson County and star of his very own law enforcement reality television show, he stood with his wife
Oct 15, 2020, 9:05 am - Lottery News

Powerball lottery winner Andrew "Jack" Whittaker dies at 72News Story
Won record-breaking jackpot, then suffered unprecedented string of bad luck By Kate Northrop Andrew Jack Whittaker, a Powerball player infamous for the string of bad luck following his record-breaking jackpot win, died at the age of 72 on Saturday, June 27 after battling a long illness, according to his obituary. In December 2002, Whittaker, 55, won the $315 million Powerball Jackpot in West Virginia, the largest-ever jackpot won by a single ticket at the time. He was well-known as some
Jul 2, 2020, 12:56 pm - Lottery News

Lottery scammer who stole thousands from elderly women pleads guiltyNews Story
Exposed fraud ring defrauded 16 known victims in a two and a half-year conspiracy By Kate Northrop A Colombian woman who helped a fraud ring execute lottery scams that systematically targeted grandmothers was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Tuesday, Luisa Camargo, 39, was sentenced to nine months in jail (that she already served) and two years on supervised release. After joining the fraud ring and causing thousands of dollars in losses, she alone will pay $38,069 in re
Jun 24, 2020, 7:48 am - Lottery News

Michigan Lottery warns public about increase in prize scams during coronavirus outbreakNews Story
The Michigan Lottery is warning the public about a scam in which people are told they've won a big prize but need to pay a fee or provide sensitive personal information to collect it. The scam works like this: A person gets a letter, email, or phone call to inform them that they've won a big lottery prize but must pay a fee or provide sensitive personal information to collect the prize. If the person agrees to pay a fee, the scam artist convinces them to mail a cashier's check, make an ele
Apr 8, 2020, 7:56 am - Lottery News