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Memo: Iowa Lottery kept selling games after security warningNews Story
A newly unsealed memo shows the Iowa Lottery kept marketing four popular games despite an August 2015 warning from its security chief that their integrity was compromised. The memo was written following the trial of Eddie Tipton, who was convicted of rigging a Hot Lotto jackpot worth $16 million. Steve Bogle, its vice president of security, recommended that the lottery immediately suspend sales of Hot Lotto, Pick 3, Pick 4, and All or Nothing. He told CEO Terry Rich, we cannot allow the ci
Aug 1, 2018, 2:27 pm - Lottery News

Iowa man claims $4.38 million Lotto America prizeNews Story
A Davenport, Iowa, man on Thursday claimed a $4.38 million lottery jackpot, acknowledging he had beaten long odds to win a jackpot with a ticket he received as a free play in a lottery promotion. But Chuck Anderson emphasized he wasn't getting ahead of himself. I'm waiting until the money is deposited, he said. I won't believe it until it's there. Anderson, 52, won Iowa's first jackpot in Lotto America just six months after the game's start. In an interesting twist, his winning ticket
May 10, 2018, 3:50 pm - Lottery News

Lotto America ticket worth $4.4 million won in IowaNews Story
By Todd Northrop Iowa Lottery officials say a Lotto America ticket bought at a convenience store in Davenport is worth nearly $4.4 million. The ticket matched the six numbers in Saturday's Lotto America drawing: 8, 15, 18, 32, and 45, with Star Ball number 1. The ticket was generated free when the person bought a Powerball ticket at the Kwik Trip convenience store, located at 2850 W. Locust Street in Davenport, Iowa, as part of an Iowa Lottery promotion for May. Lotto America is a mu
May 8, 2018, 8:32 am - Lottery News

Iowa Lottery wins International Gaming-Compliance award for work in lottery rigging investigationNews Story
Long-running case culminated in 2017 guilty pleas from three men The Iowa Lottery has won an international gaming-compliance award for its work in the long-running lottery jackpot investigation that uncovered fraud against U.S. lotteries and resulted in guilty pleas from three men. GamblingCompliance on Wednesday named the Iowa Lottery its 2018 recipient for outstanding achievement in compliance. The organization's annual awards that recognize excellence in 11 categories focused on regulat
Apr 19, 2018, 10:29 am - Lottery News

Lotto America multi-state lottery game tickets on sale SundayNews Story
New game replaces canceled Hot Lotto By Todd Northrop What's old is new again. Ripping a page from the 1980s, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) is starting a new game on Sunday called Lotto America the original name of what is now known as Powerball. The throwback name is probably a good idea, since the new game has the difficult task of helping people forget the tumultuous ending to Hot Lotto, the game it replaces. Fortunately for lottery players, not only does the new g
Nov 10, 2017, 10:15 am - Lottery News

Winner sues Colorado Lottery 12 years after rigged drawingNews Story
A decade after Colorado engineer Amir Massihzadeh hit the lottery, two state agents visited him with stunning news: He was likely the only legitimate winner of a $4.8 million jackpot he'd had to split three ways. They told the Boulder resident that the other two people who had won the 2005 drawing were linked to a conspiracy in which a lottery insider and several cohorts had rigged drawings in several states. Now Massihzadeh, 62, is suing for the rest of the winnings that he feels should have
Oct 5, 2017, 6:57 pm - Lottery News

Lottery rigging mastermind sentenced to 25 years in prisonNews Story
A former lottery security chief was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday for rigging the computerized lottery drawings in several states so he could collect the jackpots. Eddie Tipton, former security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), received the maximum sentence from an Iowa judge, who mentioned Tipton's greed in his sentencing. I certainly regret my actions, Tipton told the court. It's difficult even saying that with all the people that I know behind me that
Aug 22, 2017, 4:49 pm - Lottery News

Hot Lotto multi-state lottery game to end in OctoberNews Story
By Todd Northrop Hot Lotto, a multi-state lottery draw game currently played in 14 states, will end this October. The final Hot Lotto drawing will be conducted on Saturday, Oct. 28. It is normal practice in the lottery industry to change your gaming mix and keep products fresh in the field. Based on overall performance after 15 years, it was time to make a change, West Virginia Lottery Director Alan Larrick said. The 14 lotteries that offer Hot Lotto are working on new game options that w
Aug 9, 2017, 8:15 am - Lottery News

Lottery rigging accomplice used Wisconsin payout for offshore tax scamNews Story
After Robert Rhodes collected a Wisconsin Lottery jackpot that had been rigged by his friend Eddie Tipton, he used the windfall for an investment scheme that produced another wave of undeserved government money, court records show. Rhodes, an accomplice in a scandal that has shaken state lotteries, recently explained under oath how he used the $783,000 payout to receive an additional $180,000 in bogus tax refunds. The Texas businessman sent his lottery winnings offshore to buy a phony insuran
Jul 6, 2017, 6:53 pm - Lottery News

IT'S OFFICIAL: Tipton pleads guilty to rigging computerized lottery drawingsNews Story
The cyber security expert and brainpower behind a lottery rigging scandal that netted $2 million in illegal winnings from five state lotteries pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of ongoing criminal conduct charge. For the first time in an Iowa courtroom, Eddie Tipton admitted to playing a central role in the rigging scheme after more than two years of adamant denials in the face of mounting evidence against him. Pursuant a plea agreement, Tipton, 54, now faces spending up to 25 yea
Jun 29, 2017, 10:52 am - Lottery News