Ark. Lottery Commission denies tampering claim

Jun 6, 2012, 8:45 am (15 comments)

Arkansas Lottery

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Lottery Commission is denying allegations that it deliberately sold unsecure tickets that had a design defect that could easily lead to potential tampering.

Assistant Attorney General Mark Ohrenberger submitted the statements Friday in legal papers in response to a lawsuit filed by a Little Rock man who claims he bought two $20 Arkansas Millionaires Club tickets that had been damaged.

State officials also disputed claims that the agency deliberately allowed flawed tickets to remain in play rather than risk losing revenue.

Richard Tomboli sued in April after discovering that both tickets were tampered with to the point where someone could determine whether the card was at least a $50 winner, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported in Saturday's editions.

Tomboli's April 23 complaint to lottery officials led to a Little Rock police investigation that resulted in the arrest of a Raceway store's former manager, who was charged with theft.

Meanwhile, Tomboli claimed that the commission's security chief told him the tickets had a manufacturing defect but the commission didn't want to stop selling them, because the agency would lose money while they were reprinted by ticket manufacturer Scientific Games. He also said he was given lottery marketing merchandise, including tote bags, T-shirts, sunglasses and hats, as a "gesture of thanks" for reporting the marred tickets.

In Ohrenberger's response, the commission said security chief Lance Huey did speak with Tomboli, but officials say accounts of the conversations are inaccurate.

The lawsuit accuses the commission of committing fraud and violating its duty to manage the lottery.

Huey, Lottery Director Bishop Woosley, commission chairman Dianne Lamberth and Scientific Games also are named as defendants in the case.

Tomboli's lawyer, state Rep. John Walker, is seeking class-action status for the complaint and has asked a judge to stop further Millionaire ticket sales.

AP

Comments

maximumfun's avatarmaximumfun

deny deny deny... sounds like a typical lawsuit kickoff to me.. and what the lawyer is seeking (in a class-action suit) sounds reasonable to me (stop selling defective tickets)

mcginnin56

Can never get enough of those free-bee tote bags, T-shirts and hats. Maybe he could sell them on eBay, to recoup some of his losses?  Idea

RedStang's avatarRedStang

Quote: Originally posted by mcginnin56 on Jun 6, 2012

Can never get enough of those free-bee tote bags, T-shirts and hats. Maybe he could sell them on eBay, to recoup some of his losses?  Idea

I would feel very rich wearing lotto sunglasses.

ancelmckenzie's avatarancelmckenzie

defected tickets hmmm.................

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Betcha the Security Chief doesn't mention defective tickets to anybody anymore.

If he still works there.

mcginnin56

Quote: Originally posted by RedStang on Jun 6, 2012

I would feel very rich wearing lotto sunglasses.

"Feeling rich" is probably almost as good as actually being rich!   Cool

maximumfun's avatarmaximumfun

Quote: Originally posted by mcginnin56 on Jun 6, 2012

"Feeling rich" is probably almost as good as actually being rich!   Cool

um... no?

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

Quote: Originally posted by maximumfun on Jun 6, 2012

um... no?

yea, really.

if it ain't [sic] real, it ain't [sic] real !

mcginnin56

Quote: Originally posted by maximumfun on Jun 6, 2012

um... no?

Sorry, just my "dry" sense of humor seeping out, should have inserted a LOL.  Stooges

time*treat's avatartime*treat

Did they "gesture" his $40 bucks back?

Lucky Loser

Quote: Originally posted by maximumfun on Jun 6, 2012

deny deny deny... sounds like a typical lawsuit kickoff to me.. and what the lawyer is seeking (in a class-action suit) sounds reasonable to me (stop selling defective tickets)

I couldn't have said it better myself, max!! If you have a business and someone PROVES to you that you have a defective product, you have an obligation as an owner to pull it off the market and fix it. However, I believe that all state lotteries use an independent contractor to develop and print scratch off tickets. In doing so, they include a clause which releases them (the state) from any liability of any misprints...which I believe is what they're intending to use as their "trump card". 

I say they should just "man up" and pay the guy. This would just magnify their integrity and restore confidence in all the players that are keeping up with the story. Just my .02.

 

L.L.

maximumfun's avatarmaximumfun

Quote: Originally posted by mcginnin56 on Jun 6, 2012

Sorry, just my "dry" sense of humor seeping out, should have inserted a LOL.  Stooges

man i hate it when dry seeps!

faber98

undoubtedly this is bishop woolsey's fault. this incompetent unqualified hack never should have been appointed lottery directory in this misguided state. he has no clue what he is doing and should be exiled to syria to straighten out their lotttery issues. they need to hire a couple of 8th grade middle school graduates to run their lottery for short money. this overpaid bald headed hack needs to be replaced.

mcginnin56

Quote: Originally posted by faber98 on Jun 7, 2012

undoubtedly this is bishop woolsey's fault. this incompetent unqualified hack never should have been appointed lottery directory in this misguided state. he has no clue what he is doing and should be exiled to syria to straighten out their lotttery issues. they need to hire a couple of 8th grade middle school graduates to run their lottery for short money. this overpaid bald headed hack needs to be replaced.

Maybe Woolsey could use your glowing comments as a future reference for the Syria job?  Jester Laugh

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