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NY man sentenced to 4+ years in prison for lottery scam targeting elderlyNews Story
A New York man who ran a bogus lottery scam, in which elderly people were told they won millions but would have to pay taxes in advance to receive a payout, has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison and ordered to repay more than $733,000. Wilder Vladimir Merelan, 29, of West Hempsted, New York, was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison by Judge Mark L. Wolf in U.S. District Court in Boston, according to the U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office. Wolf also ordered him to p
Aug 11, 2016, 2:13 pm - Lottery News

Appeals court hands loss to New Jersey sports betting effortNews Story
A federal appeals court on Tuesday dealt another defeat to New Jersey's years long attempt to legalize sports betting, setting aside the state's legal challenge to a federal betting ban. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling invalidated a law passed by New Jersey in 2014 that would have allowed sports betting at casinos and racetracks. The court found New Jersey's law violated the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which limits sports betting to the handful of states
Aug 9, 2016, 11:07 am - Lottery News

New Mexico's gas pump lottery sales face legal hurdleNews Story
The Play at the Pump pilot program is facing a legal test regarding how New Mexico customers purchase their Powerball and Mega Millions lottery tickets. As Lottery Post reported last week, consumers can now purchase New Mexico lottery tickets at some gas pumps without having to enter a store. However, the New Mexico House and Ways Committee subsequently objected that state law allows for the purchase of lottery tickets by only cash and checks, not debit cards as used at the pump, and attempts
Aug 9, 2016, 10:40 am - Lottery News

3 charged in theft of $250,000 lottery ticketNews Story
An employee at an Iowa lottery retailer is charged with stealing a winning $250,000 instant scratch ticket and working with her boyfriend and mother in a clumsy attempt to claim the prize, investigators said last week. Prosecutors allege that Casey's general store employee Ashley Bosler, 20, found the winning ticket by scratching off a corner and scanning the bar code that confirmed it was a winner of the game's top prize. She allegedly hadn't paid for the ticket and was too young to play,
Aug 5, 2016, 9:59 am - Lottery News

Iowa court reverses part of Tipton's lottery fraud convictionNews Story
An Iowa appeals court on Wednesday upheld a former lottery employee's conviction for rigging the computer system to generate the winning ticket in a $16 million jackpot, but reversed a conviction for attempting to cash in on the ticket. The conviction stems from Eddie Tipton's work for the Iowa-based Multi-State Lottery Association, or MSLA, which produces computers that generate random numbers for lotteries in multiple states. As an employee of the association, Tipton was barred from playing
Jul 28, 2016, 8:23 am - Lottery News

Lottery winner invested $3M in crystal meth ringNews Story
Georgia man pleads guilty to drug trafficking, gun charges A Georgia man who won $3 million in a scratch-off lottery game last year invested his winnings in a crystal meth trafficking ring, according to federal prosecutors. Ronnie Music Jr., 45, pleaded guilty last week to federal drug trafficking and firearm charges. Music decided to test his luck by sinking millions of dollars of lottery winnings into the purchase and sale of crystal meth, U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver said. As a result of
Jul 26, 2016, 2:38 pm - Lottery News

Connecticut men charged with rigging machines in lottery schemeNews Story
Investigators uncover more than 20 retailers suspected of cheating State authorities continue to investigate the rigging of a Connecticut Lottery game they say increased the number of winning tickets and the payout to retailers. One store, operated by two Wallingford men charged earlier this year, took in over $200,000 in additional prize payouts due to the scheme, authorities say. Rahul Gandhi and Prakunj Patel, both of 37 Jobs Road, Wallingford, were arrested in March by the state Dep
Jul 13, 2016, 7:03 pm - Lottery News

Eddie Tipton's new trial delayed until 2017News Story
The second trial for a former lottery official accused of fixing jackpots in five states will be postponed until next year. An Iowa prosecutor and Eddie Tipton's attorney told a judge Wednesday they've agreed to a Feb. 13 trial date. The judge hasn't yet set a location for the trial. The former information security director for the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) was convicted last year of fraud for attempting to rig a 2010 Iowa Hot Lotto drawing. He's appealing. After his convic
Jul 1, 2016, 9:53 am - Lottery News

Lottery rigging trial to be moved out of Des MoinesNews Story
New venue to be determined later A new felony trial for a former Iowa lottery security official already convicted of scheming to win a $16.5 million jackpot will be moved out of Des Moines, a judge has ruled. Eddie Tipton, formerly an information security director for the Multi-State Lottery Association, was convicted last year of two fraud counts stemming from an attempt to rig a 2010 Hot Lotto drawing and claim the winning ticket purchased at a Des Moines QuikTrip. After his convictio
Jun 27, 2016, 2:19 pm - Lottery News

Scientific Games says exec stole company secretsNews Story
A company that works with more than 40 state lotteries in the U.S. and several overseas says in court filings that a key executive orchestrated a massive theft of its most-prized secrets before he resigned to accept a position with a rival company. Scientific Games International Inc. is asking a federal judge to prevent the information from being used outside the company in the multibillion-dollar lottery industry. The company, with offices in Alpharetta, Georgia, filed the civil lawsuit W
Jun 24, 2016, 12:40 pm - Lottery News