N.C. lottery store owners, employees winning big and often

May 1, 2009, 2:50 pm (55 comments)

North Carolina Lottery

Some of the same people who sell North Carolina Education Lottery tickets are winning big and winning often — and that makes some people suspicious.

Of the lottery retailers winning prizes, some are amassing significant jackpots repeatedly — $100,000, $300,000, and $500,000 prizes — dozens of times a year.

Is it just dumb luck? Or do these insiders have some kind of inside track? And what is the state doing about it?

A regular lottery player first brought the pattern of retailers winning the lottery to the attention of the NewsChannel 36 I-Team. Since then the I-team has pored over thousands of records of lottery winnings in spreadsheets obtained from the lottery under the Open Records Act. Some winners clearly stand out.

Brenda Pope lives near Salisbury and plays the lottery every week. She closely watches the list of winners updated daily online. "I noticed that the same names seemed to be popping up all the time," Pope says.

Some retailers — the same people selling the lottery tickets — are winning multiple jackpots. "It's kind of like being struck by lightning five, six, seven times," she says.

One case in point:  the B&S Variety store, a small convenience market located just off Interstate 40 near Morganton. The owner of the store, Becky Ozmun, won a dozen jackpots in about 13 months — including a $10,000 payout and a $150,000 prize.

"There's no secret," Ozmun says from behind the counter, "I just scratch 'em off." Ozmun says it's just luck. When asked if it's fair for owners to play the game, she replies, "My money's as good as anybody else's." She flatly denies owners have any advantage over any other player.

It's perfectly legal for retailers like Becky Ozmun to play the lottery in North Carolina and every other state in the U.S. which collectively rake in billions in the name of education. And she's hardly the only store owner who sells tickets who has won big jackpots.

Since January of 2008 — when the NC Lottery began asking winners to declare whether they were retailers or employed by retailers — at least 462 retailers have told the state they won jackpots over $600 each. At least 70 won more than once according to state records.

But these numbers depend on how forthcoming owners and clerks are when they answer the form. State lottery officials can check owners' forms against a database of social security numbers — unavailable to the public — but it's harder to pin down just who's working behind the counter at a convenience mart selling lottery tickets.

Repeat winner Becky Ozmun says it's a pretty simple process, "You just fill out a form. They ask you what you're going to do with the money."

Buried in thousands of records of winners are other retailers — store owners winning $100,000 $300,000 and almost $500,000.

And the reports show multiple winners. One employee of a store selling tickets in eastern North Carolina won 10 times in a little over a year — including a $100,000 jackpot.

An employee at a retailer south of Asheboro — himself the son of the owner — won 27 times, mostly in the Pick 3 game. Another family member at the same store won 39 times — all at the family's business.

Tell that to Brenda Pope — the tipster who first raised the question about retailers winning in North Carolina — and she says "I can't believe someone is that lucky."

But mention repeat winners to Tom Shaheen, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Education Lottery, and he says, "Anything in life can happen."

Shaheen doesn't see a big problem. "If there were thousands of cases of this I would say yes there is a problem." But Shaheen says retailers win a lot because they play a lot. "We have had retailers that have won multiple times but no different from other players," he says.

Shaheen says the Lottery investigates complaints to its complaint line. But unlike some states North Carolina does not conduct stings to catch dishonest clerks.

In an infamous case in Camarillo, California, security camera video records the moment when a store clerk sets aside a ticket worth $500,000, never informing the customer in front of him that he's just won.

"That clerk tried to claim it," says Bill Hertoghe, chief investigator for the California Lottery. "Because of video evidence we're able to determine it was a theft."

But when Shaheen is asked about North Carolina clerks who pay the wrong amount on a ticket, he says "We pay the player the difference and we charge back the retailer." California more aggressively pursues such cases for possible prosecution.

As Becky Ozmun answers questions about her winning streak, her husband Shelby chimes in about what can happen if clerks pay the wrong amount on a winning ticket. "What are they going to do if they catch you? 'Oh — I'm sorry — I misread it' or whatever."

Both Ozmuns say they're honest, won every jackpot fair and square, and will even alert winners to jackpots they haven't noticed. They say that's why B&S Variety is the number two lottery seller in the western region, which includes Asheville.

But Shelby Ozmun's comment — "What are they going to do if they catch you?" — speaks to the enforcement climate in North Carolina.

California scrutinizes repeat winners. When asked what he would do if he saw a store owner in California win a dozen times, investigator Bill Hertoghe says, "We would subject that person to a claims investigation every time they submitted a claim."

There's little evidence Becky Ozmun has been through such an investigation. When asked if lottery investigators ever came to her store to verify she was the one that bought the winning ticket, Becky Ozmun says, "No. Just sign the paper over in Raleigh."

It's enough to make a regular player like Brenda Pope suspicious.

NewsChannel 36

Comments

Todd's avatarTodd

N.C. needs to get on the stick and start conducting these investigations/sting operations that other states have been doing.

The whiff of fraud is unacceptable.

charmed7's avatarcharmed7

Sound like some of their cousins from California! who were stealing

folks  winner tickets.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

The owner of the store, Becky Ozmun, won a dozen jackpots in about 13 months - including a $10,000 payout and a $150,000 prize.

One employee of a store selling tickets in eastern North Carolina won 10 times in a little over a year - including a $100,000 jackpot.

Sounds like these store owners and their employees have a pretty good system - winning a lottery jackpot almost every month while their customers are lucky if they win a jackpot once in a life time.

Raven62's avatarRaven62

Being around the Lottery Day In and Day Out makes many a Lottery Retailer an avid Lottery Player:

Truth Be Known: The more you Play, The more you Win!

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Quote: Originally posted by Raven62 on May 1, 2009

Being around the Lottery Day In and Day Out makes many a Lottery Retailer an avid Lottery Player:

Truth Be Known: The more you Play, The more you Win!

Where I buy my tickets, being around the lottery day in and day out give the store owner and her employees more chances to say to their customers "good luck and remember me if you win the jackpot".

Littleoldlady's avatarLittleoldlady

Smells like rotten fish to me. some jackpots like P3 or P4 for instance..granted but scratch offs?  I don't think so.  Someone needs to investigate them.  If stores are winning that much, the players can't be winning anything. How in the world can a store repeatedly cash in a winning scratch off? They would have to have someone who scratched for them everyday..all day!  How do they know where the big winners are?  Are they concentrated in one spot or one area? 

PLAYERWILMNC

I recently bought some pick four the first day they started the game, bought a few and one ticket had all three of the numbers picked but the last number was a 0 not a four thought I would have won a few dollars not the jackpot but vender scanned the ticket said it was not a winner so I e-mailed lottery officials and the numbers have to be all the same of night it was picked made my mind up not to play this game again.

I am sticking with power ball.

But its probably all rigged as to who wins the large amounts.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Quote: Originally posted by PLAYERWILMNC on May 1, 2009

I recently bought some pick four the first day they started the game, bought a few and one ticket had all three of the numbers picked but the last number was a 0 not a four thought I would have won a few dollars not the jackpot but vender scanned the ticket said it was not a winner so I e-mailed lottery officials and the numbers have to be all the same of night it was picked made my mind up not to play this game again.

I am sticking with power ball.

But its probably all rigged as to who wins the large amounts.

Aren't the rules of the game posted on the back of the play slips and at the lottery website?   Or did you just read the pick3 game rules and thought they applied to the pick4 game too?

trulyblessed

I'm glad that someone shed light on this. I don't think store workers should be able to buy lottery tickets from the store they work in. I've seen many times where customers go in a store, buy 10 tickets from a roll and win nothing. Then the clerks/owners will buy the next 10 or so and win. One store I stood and watched this while waiting for someone. It pissed me off. I've even seen one lady writing down pick 3 numbers that customers are playing.

I really don't think that ncel will do anything about it!!

Kaptainess's avatarKaptainess

I have posted many times about this guy at the store in which I play my lottery, he can call the winner all the time, even prints out a ticket without me asking and hands it to me.  Once he gave me one of those instant tickets that was for promotional and it was a winner.  Mind you, I always play the 3 digits, sometimes I 'get' a four digit in my workout that I can't ignore. 

But I think working with numbers as I did as a cashier at Giant Food Market did a world of good for me with numbers, the same numbers would come up for the total sale, so I would play it, most times it would win.

I know it sounds fishy that they would keep winning, but if you have that type of a job working with the lottery all day you are bound to see a pattern of numbers that other lottery players are playing.  Just like on Lottery Post, go to predictions and see what everyone else is predicting and make deductions.  I even trid HARD to get behind the counter with the lottery machine because I thought it would give me an edge.  LoL!

Once it has hit the media things will be done, investigations, mistery shoppers, all kinds of attemps to find out the truth.   

They changed the machines in PA so that the clerk doesn't touch the tickets for validation anymore, the customer puts the ticket under a scanner and the amount shows up on a screen and the clerk pays you.  Now, we have to have the State FORCE the retailers to PAY the customer the amount and not tell them it will be paid via check/money order.  Or flat out refusing to pay at all.  Once it took me a week of running around and then a 50 mile trip out of town to get my straight 500.00 ticket cashed before I found my current retailer.

It may come down to using a stand alone machine to cut the fraud soon.  The stand alone machines now are horrible, not user friendly, but I don't expect much from the PA Government when its not what you know but who you know. 

Maybe I should see if I can get another job at the market on the lottery counter?

diamondpalace's avatardiamondpalace

Each state's lottery commissions should step in and do investigations on suspicious stores. This to protect their good names and keep player's confident. Or perhaps open up the official online lotto purchase (to save the middle man, retailers) system for players. Providing accuracy and convenience.

lottobrain's avatarlottobrain

Quote: Originally posted by trulyblessed on May 1, 2009

I'm glad that someone shed light on this. I don't think store workers should be able to buy lottery tickets from the store they work in. I've seen many times where customers go in a store, buy 10 tickets from a roll and win nothing. Then the clerks/owners will buy the next 10 or so and win. One store I stood and watched this while waiting for someone. It pissed me off. I've even seen one lady writing down pick 3 numbers that customers are playing.

I really don't think that ncel will do anything about it!!

I think Trulyblessed is on to the main technique that these winning stores use.  They watch the sale of tickets on the particular games that have the big jackpots and buy tickets after they see customers not win for several tickets.  I have also observed this myself in a Maryland store.  The state lotteries usually send a lot of big winning instant tickets to the stores that are producing the most profit for the state to keep the customers coming, so the owners know that their odds are better than lesser retailers of getting a roll of tickets with the $10,000 - $100,000 winners. I personally don't buy the instant tickets for this reason and mainly because it is just plain luck with no skill to win something.  The same goes for slot machines in today's casinos.  They are all computerized and connected to a mainframe that allows the casino to instantly change the odds on any machine.  I have noticed while playing these that every 10 minutes or so, as one goes to place a bet, the machine will freeze for a few seconds, the lights might flicker once, and then one can make a bet.  If you had been winning a little, you may start to now lose.  This cycle keeps repeating during the hour as they slowly bleed you of your money.  Of course they also "move" some of your money up the line to another machine where someone gets lucky and wins big, but overall for the night, the casino takaes in a hefty profit.

Raven62's avatarRaven62

Quote: Originally posted by RJOh on May 1, 2009

Where I buy my tickets, being around the lottery day in and day out give the store owner and her employees more chances to say to their customers "good luck and remember me if you win the jackpot".

What?

dx123's avatardx123

This is not hard to believe that some store owners who sell lottery scratch-offs win often. In Ontario Canada in the '70's these were the only 'type' of tickets sold-no lottery organization like we have today and store owners would take their batch of scratch-offs home and examine them under intense light and were able to identify the winners from the losers. They won everytime they scratched the ticket for the covering scratch-off material was not thick enough to hide the numbers below. That has all changed now but my suspicions remain. If there is a will there is a way. Some store owners can do things you can't do!

yt

dx123

four4me
Some store owners may have picked up on where the winning lottery tickets are in a pack. Be it the front middle or end of the packs. So in theory if thats correct then they could buy the first ten, the middle ten, and the last ten tickets in a book.
peppermintsugar

Quote: Originally posted by four4me on May 2, 2009

Some store owners may have picked up on where the winning lottery tickets are in a pack. Be it the front middle or end of the packs. So in theory if thats correct then they could buy the first ten, the middle ten, and the last ten tickets in a book.

I don't know what all the fuss is about, the store owners and employees have every right to purchase lottery tickets of all kind. I understand they have a greater advantage because they work there or whatever, but they still have to purchase the ticket. Now if I knew a particular store owner was always hitting at their store I would avoid buying s-offs at that store, cause most likely the empolyees or owners would have bought enough to secure a winner, which would leave me with losers. They also have a good advantage at p3& p4 cause they see what players are playing and play the numbers, sometimes hitting, sometimes hitting nothing. P3 & P4 will pay up to a certain point on any one combination anyway , I don't care if somebody write down my numbers and play them, cause it's not going to change what I will get if the numbers come out. I have made friends with some store employees and will ask them if they notice folks playing the same numbers, and someimes they notice and sometimes they don't. A couple of times somebody will come into the store and pluck down $100 for one set of numbers exact, yeah I wanna know what that number is so I can get in on the action. someone came into the store and told the clerk to play 319 for that night draw, she told everybody who was playing, most ignore it, but when she said it to me I wrote 1 exact and 50/50, it hit that night. The bad thing about that was, she (the clerk) forgot to play it and got nothing, although I did tip her for the tip. My point is, if the lottery officials that produces the S-offs, know that they are sending winning tickets to a particular store and is buddies with that store owner or employees, that's a problem, a big problem. I will go into my neighborhood kroger and ask them have anybody won more than $20 on a particular S-off game , before I purchase any of the same games, so I don't end up with a lot of losers. Sometimes they know, sometime they don't, cause some folks take their tickets out the door and don't s-off until they get home. Sometimes I play with the employees, we will buy the same tickets and try to win something and even share in the prize money, cause we peel off alot losers to get to a prize. Well thats my .02 cents, I don't have a problem with it.

mhgent

I do play the lottery, but I am fundamentally opposed to the states running them in the first place. Before the 1970's lotteries were illegal in every state in the US, except perhaps Nevada. A primary reson for laws against lotteries was that bookmakers who ran them were profiting too much buy taking unfair advantage of people. It was marally wrong!!!   When these villains ran the daily lottery a $1 for 3 nmbers paid $700 and 4 numbers paid $7000. the odds of winning are 1000-1 and 10,000-1 respectively. Now the states run them and I would be surprise if any state paid over $6,000 on a 10,000 to 1 bet, and then they tax the winner on the money that everyone that bought a ticket has already them tax on.

Anyway, the issue at hand: I have always felt uneasy about the fact that I have to give my ticket to a clerk behind the counter to check my ticket when I can't see if it is really my ticket they are running through the machine. I have made mistakes checking scratch tickets to see if I had won because I didn't  understand all the ways to win or didn't see it. If the clerk did not scan "that" ticket I would naver have known that I won and he would cashed it in later wit? any other winners he had.

The out-of-the-ordinary luck of the store owners who win 10,12 or more jackpots in a year in N. Carolina or anywhere else is easy to explin. And they shold go to jail for it.

Regardless of the specific details, the jackpots that they won were probably sold at times they were not working or in the store and some of the winning tickets were purchased at other stores and cashed at theirs. Lottery tickets where and when they were purchased and scracth tickets have information on the vendors. I bet all the jackpot winners were not purchased at heir store.

It is all bar coded. If they had self-serve verification machines it would eliminate this whole problem.

Tenaj's avatarTenaj

I hope the sting operations are forthcoming.  I won't hold my breath because it will probably not happen.  Tom Sheehan don't want to spend the money to do it.  Of course he would say "anything can happen."

It cost money for these stings.  Dishonest clerks are the main reason I don't buy scratch off tickets, always sign all my winners and never depend on anyone to check for me what hit.

At least this is a start, sometimes things have to be brought forth over and over before something will be done about it.  With the other sting operations I'm sure the same things had been going on for decades.

ronki

North Carolina is to dumb to do anything it's a rip off  you can't win that many times

jasonNC's avatarjasonNC

Well I have to agree that things seems fishy, but why would Tom Sheehan do anything about it, they're the biggest crooks look at how low their payouts have started being for pick 3 all of a sudden. NCEL can't blame the reason on the economy because they had an increase in sales the past quarter. So to complain about people winning at scratch off's are nothing compared to a lottery system that hold certain numbers from falling for years, by altering the drawings, claiming there's technical difficulties. Now that's who need to be investigated, cause I can promise you where there's a large amount of money involved there's corrupt. But we should already know that, but for all those that don't believe it just start watching the payouts for both p3 and p4.

unfairtooplay

These store employees have an advantage over customers when playing the scrathoffs games. They should not be allowed to play the scratchoff at the store in which they work.  Too many time I have seen customers buy $10, $20, $50 worth of the same scrathoff, scratch them off in the store and they win little to nothing to what they paid out.  Now these clerks noticed this, especially big ticket scratchoffs, so what do they they do - they play it with luck on their side, and BINGO they hit.  Their changes of winning BIG with this system is much higher that a regular customer that do not know how a specific scratchoff is or has paid out - but the clerk knows.  They have an unfair advantage.

peppermintsugar

Quote: Originally posted by unfairtooplay on May 2, 2009

These store employees have an advantage over customers when playing the scrathoffs games. They should not be allowed to play the scratchoff at the store in which they work.  Too many time I have seen customers buy $10, $20, $50 worth of the same scrathoff, scratch them off in the store and they win little to nothing to what they paid out.  Now these clerks noticed this, especially big ticket scratchoffs, so what do they they do - they play it with luck on their side, and BINGO they hit.  Their changes of winning BIG with this system is much higher that a regular customer that do not know how a specific scratchoff is or has paid out - but the clerk knows.  They have an unfair advantage.

Store employees are customers too. If I worked in a store I would buy my tickets at that store too! The store employees are not the vendors of the lottery products. They have to purchase products like you or me. I have played scratch offs and  put $20.00 on a particular game  and  another customer has come up behind me and won the bigger prize, so what I suppose to be happy cause that human being didn't work there, heck naw I was still mad about it. The disadvantage is that you maynot have a lot of money to keep putting on the same roll to get to the prize. Sometimes you get lucky with a few bucks and get $50, $100, or $500 like what has happen with me, many times, but I have lost out many times as well.

peppermintsugar

Quote: Originally posted by jasonNC on May 2, 2009

Well I have to agree that things seems fishy, but why would Tom Sheehan do anything about it, they're the biggest crooks look at how low their payouts have started being for pick 3 all of a sudden. NCEL can't blame the reason on the economy because they had an increase in sales the past quarter. So to complain about people winning at scratch off's are nothing compared to a lottery system that hold certain numbers from falling for years, by altering the drawings, claiming there's technical difficulties. Now that's who need to be investigated, cause I can promise you where there's a large amount of money involved there's corrupt. But we should already know that, but for all those that don't believe it just start watching the payouts for both p3 and p4.

I totally agree about the P3, something is smelling bad over there at ncel!!! NC is most repetive state I know of! I wouldn't doubt if theres some corruption going on with those balls. The so call auditors can be bought! Yeah P3 and now P4 is ffishy,ishy!! I also think that cash 5 smells rotten at times too!

JAP69's avatarJAP69

Quote: Originally posted by unfairtooplay on May 2, 2009

These store employees have an advantage over customers when playing the scrathoffs games. They should not be allowed to play the scratchoff at the store in which they work.  Too many time I have seen customers buy $10, $20, $50 worth of the same scrathoff, scratch them off in the store and they win little to nothing to what they paid out.  Now these clerks noticed this, especially big ticket scratchoffs, so what do they they do - they play it with luck on their side, and BINGO they hit.  Their changes of winning BIG with this system is much higher that a regular customer that do not know how a specific scratchoff is or has paid out - but the clerk knows.  They have an unfair advantage.

I Agree!

Phokas

"But Shelby Ozmun's comment — "What are they going to do if they catch you?" — speaks to the enforcement climate in North Carolina."

What sort of innocent person would pose such a question? It sounds like they are clever enough to have found a way to abuse the system but are unsure of the consequences if they were ever caught hence the need to ask this question. Or they know full well that they are doing wrong but are just arrogant about it knowing that enforcement is weak and they are unlikely to ever have to face the music.

JordanT1021's avatarJordanT1021

Quote: Originally posted by peppermintsugar on May 2, 2009

I totally agree about the P3, something is smelling bad over there at ncel!!! NC is most repetive state I know of! I wouldn't doubt if theres some corruption going on with those balls. The so call auditors can be bought! Yeah P3 and now P4 is ffishy,ishy!! I also think that cash 5 smells rotten at times too!

I would be total o.k. if nc was cheating.. I could save lots of money......

Then I wouldn't be scammed anymore!

JAP69's avatarJAP69

Quote: Originally posted by jasonNC on May 2, 2009

Well I have to agree that things seems fishy, but why would Tom Sheehan do anything about it, they're the biggest crooks look at how low their payouts have started being for pick 3 all of a sudden. NCEL can't blame the reason on the economy because they had an increase in sales the past quarter. So to complain about people winning at scratch off's are nothing compared to a lottery system that hold certain numbers from falling for years, by altering the drawings, claiming there's technical difficulties. Now that's who need to be investigated, cause I can promise you where there's a large amount of money involved there's corrupt. But we should already know that, but for all those that don't believe it just start watching the payouts for both p3 and p4.

Could be players are spending their money on pick 4 rather than pick giving less tickets bought in pick 3. Plus pick 4 is harder to hit.
This is probably why state lotteries bring in the four game after awhile. Bring in the same amount of money with less payout.

JordanT1021's avatarJordanT1021

Quote: Originally posted by JAP69 on May 2, 2009

Could be players are spending their money on pick 4 rather than pick giving less tickets bought in pick 3. Plus pick 4 is harder to hit.
This is probably why state lotteries bring in the four game after awhile. Bring in the same amount of money with less payout.

nc stated they had record amounts of revenue.... i do agree with jasonnc on this on... if you are having record amounts of revenue, where are the payouts? b/c there are none.....

as far as cheating goes, my opinon will change from day to day....

someone also stated nc is notorious for repeats... that also seems fishy to me.... it is a random game, but shouldn't other number have a random oppurnity to fall also....

the balls could be weighted down.... maybe?

as far as them prerecording drawings and playing them back as live drawings, i do not believe that is happening....

something else is though...

it states on the nc website over 918 million transferred to education funds... that was months ago... i am sure it is up 2 over 1 billion now

that's why the nc family thinks something is wrong... record number amounts of revenue with low payouts

JordanT1021's avatarJordanT1021

Quote: Originally posted by JAP69 on May 2, 2009

Could be players are spending their money on pick 4 rather than pick giving less tickets bought in pick 3. Plus pick 4 is harder to hit.
This is probably why state lotteries bring in the four game after awhile. Bring in the same amount of money with less payout.

everyone I know still plays 95% of their money of pick 3....

a little powerball...

hardly any scratch off's

foragoodcause's avatarforagoodcause

I believe to things,they are either stealing or palying on their lucky day,i read a book about it and it was amazing.In 2006 i won many times in the daily # because 2006 was a lucky year for me

MaddMike51

Quote: Originally posted by JordanT1021 on May 2, 2009

everyone I know still plays 95% of their money of pick 3....

a little powerball...

hardly any scratch off's

I've seen clerks take scratch-off tickets from the roll without paying for them.When they lose they just take another & another & another until they win enough money to pay for the tickets that were losers.Eventually they take to many and it catches up to them & they either get fired or arrested or both.I don't think that employees should be allowed to play the lottery at the store they work at while on duty.

yogibear's avataryogibear

Quote: Originally posted by JordanT1021 on May 2, 2009

nc stated they had record amounts of revenue.... i do agree with jasonnc on this on... if you are having record amounts of revenue, where are the payouts? b/c there are none.....

as far as cheating goes, my opinon will change from day to day....

someone also stated nc is notorious for repeats... that also seems fishy to me.... it is a random game, but shouldn't other number have a random oppurnity to fall also....

the balls could be weighted down.... maybe?

as far as them prerecording drawings and playing them back as live drawings, i do not believe that is happening....

something else is though...

it states on the nc website over 918 million transferred to education funds... that was months ago... i am sure it is up 2 over 1 billion now

that's why the nc family thinks something is wrong... record number amounts of revenue with low payouts

JordanT1021, the balls were weighted down in PA way back in the late 70's or early 80's.  I was living in NJ at the time.  So it is possible.  They put whilte liquid die in the balls and the number that hit that day was 666.  That's how they got busted.

Tenaj's avatarTenaj

Quote: Originally posted by MaddMike51 on May 2, 2009

I've seen clerks take scratch-off tickets from the roll without paying for them.When they lose they just take another & another & another until they win enough money to pay for the tickets that were losers.Eventually they take to many and it catches up to them & they either get fired or arrested or both.I don't think that employees should be allowed to play the lottery at the store they work at while on duty.

I Agree!

konane's avatarkonane

I Agree!  I look forward to online lotto purchases, then if someone doesn't like a particular lottery they have a choice of where to spend their money.

Littleoldlady's avatarLittleoldlady

You are right and they shouldn't be allowed to play scratch offs while on duty and at the store where they work.  I worked at a lottery place years ago and that was how the rules went.  She had to stop the employees because they were racking up.They played on "credit" from their paychecks until they got a good hit on the scratchers and then they would pay back what they owed and pocket the rest of the money and wait for the next "sucker' to start buying from a new roll of tickets.  They knew approximately where the winner would be located in the roll.  They even kept a cheat sheet to tell them what part of the roll the last winner had come from.  I was amazed.  They knew all of the prize amounts, etc. so they knew what they were trying to win.

Pogo's avatarPogo

Another nail in the coffin that goes agaibacknst NC palyers - There aren't any readable codes on the scratchers, therefore you can't verify whether or not you have a winner... I can't see all that well - and this is certainly a stab-pin-the-back... That's why I prefer scratching in VA at least it will give me a comforting code TWY = $20, TWF = $25, FTY = $50, HUN = $100, etc. etc.

WHERE ARE MY CODES NC???

Sorry for shouting all, Pogo

jackpotismine's avatarjackpotismine

Quote: Originally posted by Pogo on May 3, 2009

Another nail in the coffin that goes agaibacknst NC palyers - There aren't any readable codes on the scratchers, therefore you can't verify whether or not you have a winner... I can't see all that well - and this is certainly a stab-pin-the-back... That's why I prefer scratching in VA at least it will give me a comforting code TWY = $20, TWF = $25, FTY = $50, HUN = $100, etc. etc.

WHERE ARE MY CODES NC???

Sorry for shouting all, Pogo

I thinking that maybe, just maybe they found a way to see what's under the painted area.  Maybe they are using Infared light, Blue light, x-ray or something that can see through the paint. Just a thought.

Tenaj's avatarTenaj

Quote: Originally posted by Littleoldlady on May 2, 2009

You are right and they shouldn't be allowed to play scratch offs while on duty and at the store where they work.  I worked at a lottery place years ago and that was how the rules went.  She had to stop the employees because they were racking up.They played on "credit" from their paychecks until they got a good hit on the scratchers and then they would pay back what they owed and pocket the rest of the money and wait for the next "sucker' to start buying from a new roll of tickets.  They knew approximately where the winner would be located in the roll.  They even kept a cheat sheet to tell them what part of the roll the last winner had come from.  I was amazed.  They knew all of the prize amounts, etc. so they knew what they were trying to win.

I just don't understand why it is allowed, littloldlady.  That's why companies won't allow employees to play in their sweepstakes. It leads to dishonesty and cheats.

I guess as long as the "suckers" continue to play and NC rack up the profits it will never change.  I guess they can care less who's winning as long as they get their profits.

asmith39

They probably scan the tickets in the lotto machine before stocking it in the bin next to other tickets to see if its a winner & how much the prize is, then document it on a notepad to remind themself or other employee that when such and such ticket comes up to buy it theirself.

dopey7719's avatardopey7719

I live in South Carolina...I know of cashiers that keep a tally of the rolls that are winning batches.  Also, it's ALWAYS the same darned clerks that win big prizes all the time.  I see them repeatedly listed as winners and they brag about it.  Some rolls are winning tickets others are not....if they know u well enough and like u, they will tell you.  I've known others to lie as well.  For instance....she told a relative of mine to not buy from this batch because someone had just won 500 on it which means there's not another one in there.  Well, she didn't listen and bought it anyway....guess what....she won 200 bucks.  The clerk was trying to sway people away from what she wanted to buy when she got off from work.  She also had family members come visit at the store and they would "buy" them for her. 

Once clerk got fired for buying tickets while at work and winning all the time.  She went to the gas station a couple of miles down the road and kept winning there too.  Guess what...she finally hit the big one....100,000...and is now working at a different gas station.  So don't tell me something isn't up.

numberchaser

I myself had a winning jumbo ticket worth $1.000 and the clerk told me that this was not a winning ticket and this lady did not want to give my ticket back to me. I had to show anger to her to get my ticket back, this lady was trying getNo Pity! an opportunity to switch ticket I guest. Don't even let them touch your ticket if you win a cash prize that you have to take to the lottery office.

ThatScaryChick's avatarThatScaryChick

Quote: Originally posted by MaddMike51 on May 2, 2009

I've seen clerks take scratch-off tickets from the roll without paying for them.When they lose they just take another & another & another until they win enough money to pay for the tickets that were losers.Eventually they take to many and it catches up to them & they either get fired or arrested or both.I don't think that employees should be allowed to play the lottery at the store they work at while on duty.

I agree. Although, I don't have a problem with clerks playing pick 3/5/6 games because there isn't really a way to cheat like there is with scratch off games. (Though, I'm not counting the ones who lie to customers about not having a winning ticket.)

peppermintsugar

Quote: Originally posted by dopey7719 on May 3, 2009

I live in South Carolina...I know of cashiers that keep a tally of the rolls that are winning batches.  Also, it's ALWAYS the same darned clerks that win big prizes all the time.  I see them repeatedly listed as winners and they brag about it.  Some rolls are winning tickets others are not....if they know u well enough and like u, they will tell you.  I've known others to lie as well.  For instance....she told a relative of mine to not buy from this batch because someone had just won 500 on it which means there's not another one in there.  Well, she didn't listen and bought it anyway....guess what....she won 200 bucks.  The clerk was trying to sway people away from what she wanted to buy when she got off from work.  She also had family members come visit at the store and they would "buy" them for her. 

Once clerk got fired for buying tickets while at work and winning all the time.  She went to the gas station a couple of miles down the road and kept winning there too.  Guess what...she finally hit the big one....100,000...and is now working at a different gas station.  So don't tell me something isn't up.

Looks to me, Im in the wrong careerSulk Off                  Green laugh

Kidzmom's avatarKidzmom

Quote: Originally posted by trulyblessed on May 1, 2009

I'm glad that someone shed light on this. I don't think store workers should be able to buy lottery tickets from the store they work in. I've seen many times where customers go in a store, buy 10 tickets from a roll and win nothing. Then the clerks/owners will buy the next 10 or so and win. One store I stood and watched this while waiting for someone. It pissed me off. I've even seen one lady writing down pick 3 numbers that customers are playing.

I really don't think that ncel will do anything about it!!

Yes the clerks at Food Lion do that all the time. Writing down the numbers especially if you a regular and win often.  I've heard them say that the regular winners are the numbers to play.

I don't think they should be able to buy at the establishment that they work at, I won't say that they are cheating just yet because if you play a lot then you will win, but let them just play at other stores to see if they are actually winning on their own luck.

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