I think this should be done by the police regularly. When the clerk steals, imprison the clerk and fine the store a lot. That will cut it down. Even better, put in scanners that print winning receipts.

I can't watch the videos but if the statements in the article concerning the New York Lottery's actions in relation to this sting are definitive of the situation then heads should roll in the upper echelons of the New York Lottery.

It is unfreakingbelievable and unconscionable that the New York Lottery would give potential crooks, cheats and thieves in their network a heads-up on someone trying to catch them in the act. They should have welcomed and been actively involved and participating in this action in order to root out the scammers in their system.

Here was a chance for them to show their integrity and their determination to maintain integrity in their system and they instead went into C.Y.O.A. (Cover your own @ss) mode in an attempt to deny any wrongdoing rather than face the fact that it does exist and try to uproot it.

Lottery players in New York should be raising holy hell about this and calling for the resignation of the muckety mucks of the New York Lottery behind this scandalous and absolutely unacceptable behavior.

Kudos to Joan Borucki and the California Lottery for doing the right thing.

wow , guess thats an argument against min wages for store clerks.

personally i would stop playing in NY. see how their lotto officials like it with no job the scamming #$%^$#%$^%

also it states on vid the stores get a comission of %5 , stealing a $1k  win  would take $20k of sales to equal. seesm to me a retailer risks a lot 20k in sales should be done on a weekend id immagine. imagine losing your rights to sell them! big risk for a retailer

lol so the chances of being scammed oput of a winning ticket is higher than actually wijnning in the 1st place! interesting

When I was in Cailfornia a year or so ago. The store clerks almost always tried to scam you out of the smallest of prizes. Every time I won entry into the TV show entry pool, the clerk would tell me it wasn't a winner. I could'nt imagine why they would try to cheat me out of such a miniscule chance of winning until I realized if this were done to 100 people a week, they would have 100 entries or more a week to send in. I was happy to see that California discountinued their TV show a few months ago. If some lottery dealers are willing to rip you off for the least of prizes, they must do it all the way up the food chain. BEWARE!

I'm grateful to NBC's Newsline program employees for taking the long amount of time to collect this news data last into earlier this year. 

New York Lottery Executive Director, Gordon Medenica appears to be a confused person, too, on film.  A serious filming by Newsline, is offered to be shown to him.  He says that he doesn't care to watch ... he and the New York Police don't need help and rather are enforcing to an acceptable degree ... that he KNOWS what is going on with lottery retailers in New York. Shady appearing Gordon Medenica indicates that when lottery retailer ticket clerks/owners are given winning tickets by someone who didn't actually buy the ticket that the situation is magically transmuted to "entrapment" ... such a maneuver causes the clerk/owner to BE compelled to either not check the tickets, saying that it's not a winner and giving the ticket back (even if it is a winner), or keeping the ticket while putting on a show to crumple it up and throw it on their back counter OR majestically tossing it into their "garbage" can. 

I found it interesting that most of the lottery ticket retailer thieves refused to admit that their act was theft.  And when they did "say" it, it was obvious that they didn't embrace the concept of deceipt being wrong to inflict on society.  One man indicated "I'm a good, family man."  Well, if that is good ... yeikes for his "family" and nearby society!  Most of these pathological liers/sociopaths thought that because they or their family or friend could use the winning ticket's money that it was somehow the natural, logical thing to lie and steal and lie again. They truly appeared astounded that police would have the odasity to confront them and handcuff them and put them in jail for a mere 45 days with only 3 years additional probation (is that just recompense for ruining a person's level of trust for perhaps the remainder of their physical life?). 

Wow, 50% of the lottery ticket clerks wouldn't even check to see if a ticket was a winner!  How cruel, malicious, and unconscionable.  Well, it is the best, after all, to go to the library once or twice a month to check past draw tickets on their freely provided public access Internet access computers.  We can check our tickets on USAmega.COM and LotteryPost.com ... then go to the official webpage of MegaMillions.com or Powerball.com to do the final check.  Fortunately, we can even go to the ticket purchased's state lottery website in order to download the CLAIM form.  No need to step foot in a store where we are "entrapping" some lottery ticket clerk to not check ticket and tell us it lost, check ticket and tell us it lost when it actually won, etc.

Gordon Medenica appears to be a person who is willing and practiced at STRETCHING  the reality of a situation too.  As the amount of retailers to lose their lottery retailer status last year -- ONLY 9 -- is ridiculously low for even a tiny state!

right on handing a winning ticket to a lotto agent is " entrapment " in NYC

When you buy a lottery ticket and go in a store so see if it's any good and don't know before hand you are just stupid..You should not be allowed to buy lottery tickets of any kind or gamble..Play checkers you big dope's...

Move out of Tenn into the USofA so you can watch the videos ridge..You need a loan to do that??..

I think it's Awesome that they mention "Lottery Post" in the article in a most positive way!!!

Excellent Job Todd!!

California has a bad track record, New York lottery commission should of welcomed "DATELINE" it would of saved New York money in the investigative area. I think what the New York lottery commissioner did by sending out the warning was totally wrong.

As far as the guy in Texas that had that million dollar winner stolen. I'm glad he got some of the cash and i hope they recover the balance for him in the near future.

I would love to have "DATELINE" and Chris Hanson do an investigation here in Michigan.

Cutla$$Bob

Anyone else notice how many of those clerks were foreigners?

They mentioned one guy may get deported.

Also, how they refused to admit they did what they did or said what they said despite the news crew having it all on tape.Diffeent cultures, different values I guess.

The one guy that rold the lady who won that the government would collect anything owed to them, even parking tickets if she went to Manhattan to cash the winner- the news team said that is called "discounting" (charging a fee to cash a ticket in such a situation) but it is also known as "sending in a beard".

"Sign your ticket before you go into a store if you don't check the numbers on your ticket with the winning numbers"...and if you don't check your numbers before you try to cash your ticket...Good luck you will need it...ask Willis Willis..

I payed special attention to the ethnicity of the majority of the RIP-OFF clerks. How sad. They say they come to America to better themselfs, ya at our expence. Devious <snips>

The dude that ripped of the million in Texas is proubly living it up in Mexico! Granted he's only got $300,000 but he can live like a king for a while down there.

Cutla$$Bob

I recently went into the store where I purchase my tickets and scanned my ticket at the ticket scanner to find out that I won $7.

Here in PA we can scan our own tickets!

Don't the stores have the machines that play a certain tone whether the ticket is a winner or a loser, or is that not for scratch-offs? Just stay there at the register whenever you have them check it and problem solved.

If it's a number draw ticket then most places should have slips of paper with the winning numbers printed out (or you can ask for one) that you can check against your numbers (if you don't have internet, of course, otherwise there are numerous ways of checking).

Nobody should put blind faith into store clerks when anywhere from hundreds to thousands to millions are at stake. I don't care who the clerk is, I'm not going to trust them with that kind of money. Will I let them verify the ticket? Of course, but only after I've checked to see that it is indeed a winner and I'm staying up at the desk. I'm not going to give them a ticket without already knowing it's a winner (of any amount). If it's a jackpot winner I would definitely have either my name signed or whatever trust info is needed on there. You can never be too careful when dealing with millions.

New York's Lottery guy seemed pretty shady. Sending out alerts and not wanting people who previously conned people out of a winning ticket to get caught. Sounds to me like he just wants more places to keep selling tickets. He said last year 9 places lost their license to sell. How long did their investigation in CA last, they had about that many over there in what seemed like a few months (max). And I wonder what the people's first thoughts were when they saw Chris Hansen coming up to them with cameras.

Remember this was a "Sting" Operation.

I agree with Tiggs on the issue if you don't know you got a winner you should not be playing!

Personally i check all my tickets here on Lottery Post. Then i go to the store and tell the clerk how much i have won. Then i also ask them for the "Players Copy" of the pay-out.

If i'm cashing in a "Scratch-off i do the same. Even if it's a loser i ask for my losing ticket back & the slip that shows it's "not a winner."

"So easy a cave man can do it."

Cutla$$Bob

Very smart Bob..You could make money teaching people how to read  numbers..

wow. i check all my own tickets on line. i should sign them but they don't leave the house until i check them.

A brain. Don't leave home without it.

I watched this segment on Dateline, and I was surprised they didn't mention the store clerks (and even some managers!...)  scratching-off tickets they don't buy until a winning ticket is scratched that will pay for the non-winners, and they pocket the difference. This is one problem among many I have with playing scratcher games. Other irritating aspects of this type of gaming include store clerks not refilling the machines, tickets displayed on the machine that are different than the tickets dispensed, "Double", or even "Triple" binning of scratchers, stores--especially the "convenience" variety--that won't pay large prize amounts (They'll claim they're preventing a robbery), tickets that have hardened surfaces that can't be scratched off,  indistinguishable symbols/numbers in the playing field,  kids walking up and punching the buttons on the machine after my money is accepted (It REALLY HAPPENED!!), 'mentally-challenged' people who spend 20 minutes reading tea leaves to determine what ticket to select (they never seem to notice the line of people waiting behind them), and lastly, complex games that you spend 30 minutes scratching and analyzing, then finding out you haven't won anything. All-in-all, scratchers are a frustrating way to try and win money from the state.

Ronald Reagan once said " Trust but verify ".

"reading tea leaves to determine what ticket to select" LMAO.

I've been behind some that took so long they could have built a sweat lodge and hung from hooks through their chests in a Vision Quest.

That was dam good advice too, larry.

dpoly1,

Some of those stores in the report had those scanners, too, people could see them if you they what you were looking at.

Sometimes the ones the public can use don't work or are shut off, but when they're not, you do have to wonder why people ask the clerks to scan their tickets. Maybe they just want attention or a conversation.

Maybe we should do a Ten Commandments of Lotto thread:

1. Thou shalt always check your own tickets.

I agree, come to Michigan.

I wasn't going to weigh in on this article because I didnt think I could add anything that hasn't already been said by others.

After watching the video's I'd like to add something that I'm aware of.  I live in New York State. While they dont confiscate past due parking tickets from lottery winnings, The State of New York will definitely  confiscate any child support or NY state income taxes in arrears.  I'm aware of those two things, but there could be more that I'm not aware of.  Prior to cutting the check, The Lottery will run the winners social security number thru a database.  If there is a hit, and you owe money to the state, or your Ex for child support, it will be as the state calls it, "diverted" from your winnings.  If you owe more than what you won, you will receive nothing.

There is a legendary story in New York (I have no idea if it is true or not) about two guys (they're siblings) who always played the same set of Win4 numbers on the same day.  Apparently they each played the same set of numbers every day.  The numbers hit, and they won a combined total of $20,000.

In attempt to avoid income taxes, they arranged for a brother in law who was a dead beat dad, to claim the winnings for them. The way I heard the story was they agreed to give him $500 cash to claim the winnings for them. (He'd have to pay income taxes on that 20G's, so why he'd agree to do it is a mystery to me)

When the dead beat brother in law claimed the tickets, his past due child suport was confiscated and sent to his ex-wife.

"Shady appearing Gordon Medenica indicates that when lottery retailer ticket clerks/owners are given winning tickets by someone who didn't actually buy the ticket that the situation is magically transmuted to "entrapment""

That's the part that's really screwed up. Motives aside, sending out the warning should have a deterent effect by letting clerks know that the person they're trying to steal a ticket from may be a reporter who's filming them. Describing it as entrapment, OTOH, is incredibly stupid. Since the Dateline investigation was done privately and didn't have the cooperation of the lottery they had to use a real winning ticket, which they presumably got by buying all 1000 numbers for the pick 3. The ticket was only worth $500, which isn't much for tricking otherwise honest clerks into  stealing. They may have been monitoring the results, but they were basicaly doing exactly what many players do: taking their tickets to the store and trusting the clerk to check them honestly.

These types of investigations should be done more frequently, imo.  I work in a convenience store, our lottery machine is situated to face the customers, the screen can be seen by them.  Also, when any ticket gets validated as a winner, the machine makes a sound depending on the type of winner, which can be heard clear to the back of the store.  As a rule (for myself at least), I always hand back any losing tickets to the customer....specifically because of this type of situation.  If the customer then asks me to throw them away, I rip them up before they hit the trash.  I don't understand why these clerks would do this....and think they could get away with it.  They will eventually be caught, and imo it's not worth losing my job (even if it is a min. wage job), going to jail, paying fines..etc.  Once convicted as a thief, they will have a hard time finding a job. 

I agree with many of the posters here...If you don't know how to play..then don't. Don't take up 20 min. of my time asking me how to play when there are customers behind you....especially when scratch tickets have clear instructions on how to play and win.  Details are on the front and back of each scratch ticket. How hard is it? "Scratch the play area, if you get 3 like symbols, amts, etc in a row,  you win prize shown. If you find said symbol, you get double the prize shown" Duh!  And the instructions are on the back of every Powerball play slip and actual ticket.  Please Read!  Check your tickets before you enter the store, so that you know if you have winners or not.  While I try to be fair to all of my customers and give them the time they deserve, it does get annoying when someone brings in a month's worth of saved up tickets (which they don't even know if they are winners or not), and asks me to check them all when I've got a line of customers backing up. It's not fair to those other customers to have to wait for me to scan tickets when the majority of them are losing tickets.  Especially with scratch tickets, check to be sure they are winners because in our state, the lottery machine will lock us out if we scan too many non-winning scratch tickets in a row.

As other people have said here, don't trust any clerk with your tickets. Know what you have before you enter the store, stay at the counter while the clerk is validating your tickets.  Stores are only allowed to pay out up to a certain amount, as per the Lottery commission in each state, which normally the max amount is like $500.  Anything over that has to be paid out by the Lottery Commission.  Just be alert when cashing in, don't just blindly hand a clerk your tickets.

Since the Dateline investigation was done privately and didn't have the cooperation of the lottery they had to use a real winning ticket, which they presumably got by buying all 1000 numbers for the pick 3.

You bring up an interesting point, I wonder if they actually played all 1000 combinations or used a winning lottery system to buy their winning tickets.  Maybe that's a story for another Dateline investigation, "Winning lottery systems, do they exist?".

I agree with you Cutlass Bob on checking the ticket before entering the store , I will tell the clerk how much the win is before handing them the ticket. You can't trust people with your money unless their getting a cut like the lawyer. One other thing I notice the New York Lottery Official didn't want to see the cheating crooks or lazy slackers on tape, because if they let people throw away winners more money for the state.Anyway you look at it New York System stinks My hat off to Ca. for doing the right thing.

I like you cats, you sound like you're all business. I know you ain't in East Tennessee though, cuz here it's the clerks that are the problem half the time. They'll spend five minutes making small talk with a customer while a line of 6 or 7 people waits behind them.

tiggs went in a store yesterday with a 100.00 cash 3 ticket and the clerk asked if tiggs wanted it checked..tiggs said no and he handed it to her to cash it and said it was worth 100.00...If you don't know that you have a winner and know how much that winner is worth..DON'T BUY BANY LOTTERY TICKETS!!!...Can you dig it?..

Yet another example for lottery players to contemplate: A convenience store clerk and her daughter were arrested after they conned a California Lottery undercover investigator. The scratcher ticket he handed to the clerk was a "Decoy" they utilize to test the honesty of lottery retailers. The woman checked the ticket, which registered on the machine as a $20,000.00 jackpot winning ticket. She informed the undercover investigator that it wasn't a winner. Her daughter then attempted to redeem the prize through a lottery field office.  People who think these clerks and their families/friends are immune to greed, or not cognizant of the laws they are breaking when they pull these scams seldom realize that there is not only a good reason why retail clerks scam lottery patrons for their winnings (most are paid minimum wage) but they are also in a prime position to do so! I have probably been scammed once or twice, but I now don't trust anyone involved in the process of validating my winning tickets. I make <snip> sure what the prize will be long before I even head to the store.

You should just mail it in, tiggs.

I'm sure everything would be fine doing it that way.

Just mark on the bottom of the envelope: Please handle with care - winning lottery ticket enclosed!

Yes, I'm sure everything would be just fine.

And look at the money you'd save on gas and the hassle of trying to understand what Sahib is saying down at the Convenience Store. 

I see it's another open season for immigrants.  In this very website

I have seen Johnsons and Smiths arrested for swindling people off of their

lottery wins but nah, those do not inspire such passions as "Sahib" eh? ;-)

hehe nah, they spent $3000 playing a system to get that winning ticket

Yeah, even if systems worked in the long run, when you just need a single winning ticket the sensible thing is to put down your $1000 and get your winning ticket for $500. The money they spent for the ticket is nothing compared to their other expenses in doing the story.

Nah.

I know Sahib.

Sahib is a friend of mine.

You're no Sahib, massachusetts man.

BTW, are ya still coverin for Whitey Bulger up there?

Oh, and uh... sorry about the Kennedy seat.  Progress and all that, you know. (lol!)

And just for the record massachusetts man, Sahib is a term of respect used in addressing someone.

Usually someone like a Johnson or a Smith.

But Johnsons and Smiths immigrated too, so your crusade to prevent anyone from ever being offended by anyone or anything at anytime is still valid (if it makes you feel better).

It must be a chore for you to live in fear of not being politically correct at every turn.

But at least John Kerry would be proud of you (he's a weasel too).