Have you heard - can you help debunk this rumor really, really quick? Worse case scenario - Well depends on how much you value your privacy and play, I suppose.
I hear that Georgia vendors who sell lottery tickets will soon be undergoing education from the GA lottery on big changes coming soon.
The rumor is that to play the GA Lottery each player will have to provide their personal info - name, address, etc., before they will be able to play. A "debit" type card has also been mentioned. Like most rumors, details are in short supply and I cannot divulge my sources, but they are in GA and they are lottery affiliated in some manner.
I have long expressed my concern about making big splashes on multiple ticket wins, etc., because someone somewhere will do something, well, exactly like this. Of course, laid out simply, winning up to 500-600 and not having to report it has probably always been stuck in someone's craw, and no real fanfare should have been necessary to stir that pot.
My hope is that GA is going to offer a casino-like atmosphere to players who wish to participate voluntarily. You know, you go to a casino and join the players club, and that sweet little card that gets you perks also tracks your play, your stay, everything, providing valuable info to the casino. What I don't understand is why the GA Lottery has not announced its plans to it's playing public (maybe it has), but has already scheduled vendors to start their training in the near future.
So, that's the rumor. You are correct - I am not a GA player per se, but myself and every player in every state has the potential to be affected by this - Were a state to successfully institute a tracking system for every type of play, don't you think other states would be quick to follow? Even if a state did not want to participate, think of the pressure they'd be under from state and federal taxers, not to mention social services, medicaid, etc.
Do you have the scoop on what's about to go on with the GA Lottery? Is this a test? Please share. Please prove the rumor to be just that and I'll be a seriously happy camper. Truly, I will.