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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 - Lottery News

Lottery scammer's brother facing criminal chargesNews Story
The brother of a former Iowa lottery security official convicted of fixing a 2010 Hot Lotto drawing in an attempt to win millions is now facing an Iowa criminal charge of his own, online records show. Tommy Tipton, of Flatonia, Texas, was booked into the Polk County Jail at about 4:40 a.m. Wednesday on a felony charge of ongoing criminal conduct. He posted a $25,000 bond and was released from the jail before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Tipton, 43, resigned his elected position as a Texas justi
Apr 6, 2016, 12:50 pm - Lottery News

MUSL seeks to dismiss lawsuit over rigged jackpotNews Story
A group of state lotteries has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a jackpot winner who argues he was shortchanged by millions of dollars because the prior drawing was rigged by one of its employees. In court documents filed this week, the Multi-State Lottery Association argued that Iowa resident Larry Dawson does not have legal standing to sue because his claimed injury is merely speculative and hypothetical, and therefore cannot be redressed. Dawson, of Webster City, filed the l
Apr 1, 2016, 10:21 am - Lottery News

Falling lottery sales pinch college scholarshipsNews Story
The ticket-buying frenzy that erupted over January's $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot wasn't enough to reverse a long-running trend: Proceeds from lottery games aren't keeping pace with the higher education costs they were supposed to pay. Now lawmakers in at least eight states have made or are considering making dramatic cuts to scholarship programs funded by lotteries. The programs, aimed at opening access to college by providing nearly free tuition, include one at the University of New Mexic
Mar 3, 2016, 12:23 pm - Lottery News

Why you might go bankrupt if your next-door neighbor wins the lotteryNews Story
Winning the lottery can be hazardous to your neighbors' financial health. Research released this month by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia found a significant jump in bankruptcies among households living near someone who won a big lottery jackpot. The economists theorized that people may have seen the good fortune next door and felt pressure to accumulate more assets of their own, especially flashy purchases like cars, that they simply could not afford. Income inequality induces p
Feb 16, 2016, 10:12 am - 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 - Lottery News

More state lotteries adding "win for life" gamesNews Story
More than half of US lotteries now offer a for life lotto draw game By Todd Northrop In the past year a new multi-state lottery game concept where the top prize pays out over the lifetime of the winner has swept across the United States. Just like there are two big-jackpot multi-state lottery games Powerball and Mega Millions there are also two multi-state for life games: Cash4Life and Lucky for Life. The games offer a top prize and a second prize that pay off over the lifetime of th
Jan 22, 2016, 6:45 am - Lottery News

Lottery officials say identifying winners a mustNews Story
States wrestle with winners' privacy vs. integrity of games In the California lottery handbook for winners, officials offer a few suggestions to newly minted millionaires. Change your number. Stop answering your phone. And find a reputable financial adviser. That's because along with the money comes 15 minutes of fame as the names of winners are required to be made public in California and many other states. All eyes are on the Los Angeles suburb of Chino Hills, where one of three ticke
Jan 19, 2016, 12:24 pm - Lottery News

Multi-state Wild Card 2 game ending in FebruaryNews Story
North Dakota joining Lucky for Life multi-state game By Todd Northrop Wild Card 2, a multi-state lottery game currently offered in four states, is ending with the Feb. 24 drawing. The lottery game that has been played in one form or another for more than 20 years is being dropped after a fall in popularity, according to lottery officials. Wild Card 2 offers two plays for $1. It got its start in 1994 as Tri-West Lotto and was offered only in Idaho, Montana and South Dakota. In 1998, i
Jan 18, 2016, 9:59 am - Lottery News

Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich to answer lottery player questions live Monday eveningNews Story
Lottery Post will host event at 8pm EST By Todd Northrop Lottery players from across the United States and around the world will have the chance Monday evening to ask questions about the Eddie Tipton computerized drawing rigging scandal to Terry Rich, Iowa Lottery CEO, who was instrumental in discovering the crime. In December 2010 a Hot Lotto jackpot worth $16 million was won on a ticket purchased in Iowa. One year later, with just two hours to spare before the ticket was to expire, a
Jan 11, 2016, 10:39 am - Lottery News