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Former MUSL official received severance amid lottery jackpot scandalNews Story
A prominent lottery official who was stripped of power after a subordinate allegedly carried out a prolonged jackpot-rigging scheme received a $284,000 severance payment, a recent tax filing shows. The Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) made the payment to its longtime executive director Chuck Strutt as part of a voluntary termination agreement signed March 31, according to its 2016 tax return. The filing, released by the group in response to a request by The AP, also reveals that its leg
Jan 10, 2017, 10:04 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Lottery scammer rigged more drawings than first thought, records showNews Story
The computer program that a former lottery security official used to rig drawings worth millions of dollars in Iowa and other states was more expansive than investigators first discovered, court records filed last week show. Eddie Tipton, a former employee of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) in Clive, wrote the code to allow him to predict the randomly drawn numbers of multimillion-dollar jackpots in as many as 17 states and claim the cash prizes. The code remained active and und
Feb 19, 2018, 6:03 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Texas authorities had previously investigated brother of lottery cheatNews Story
By Todd Northrop The outrageous Hot Lotto rigging scandal that started in Iowa is now spreading into other states including Texas. Officials are taking a second look at a $570,000 winning multi-state lottery ticket purchased a decade ago in Colorado by a Central Texas judge. The investigation does not involve the Texas state lottery. Tommy Tipton, the subject of the investigation, is a Fayette County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 3, based in Flatonia. According to records from the T
Oct 14, 2015, 10:01 am - Todd - 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 - Todd - 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 - Todd - Lottery News

Lottery jackpot rigger's Iowa convictions dismissedNews Story
Has little practical impact on case The Iowa Supreme Court has dismissed the conviction of an Iowa man who just last week pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related with rigging lottery computers in order to win jackpots. The court issued a ruling Friday dismissing Eddie Tipton's conviction for tampering with lottery equipment. The ruling said the statute of limitations on one of the counts against him had expired and improper instructions given on the other count could have influe
Jun 23, 2017, 11:36 am - Todd - Lottery News

Texas man pleads guilty to fraud in lottery scandal caseNews Story
A Texas businessman has pleaded guilty to fraud and admitted to helping lottery computer technician Eddie Tipton cash jackpots in a multi-state number-fixing scheme that netted $2 million. Robert Rhodes pleaded guilty in a Des Moines courtroom Monday. Iowa prosecutors will seek two years of probation. Rhodes says he helped Tipton try to cash a $16.5 million 2010 Iowa Hot Lotto ticket but suspicious officials never paid. Rhodes agreed to testify against Tipton and his brother, Tommy Tipt
Jan 11, 2017, 4:18 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Convicted computerized drawing fraudster argues Iowa court appealNews Story
The attorney for a former lottery official accused of fixing jackpots in several states argued Thursday that his client's conviction last year on fraud charges should be thrown out. Eddie Tipton, the former Multi-State Lottery Association computer security director, appealed his July 2015 convictions related to fixing an Iowa Hot Lotto game in 2010, which resulted in a 10-year prison sentence. He is free on bond during the appeal. Tipton's attorney, Dean Stowers, told a three-judge Iowa Co
Jun 16, 2016, 8:18 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Man files lawsuit over rigged lottery jackpotsNews Story
Hopes to achieve class action certification Hundreds of thousands of lottery players who were allegedly cheated by an insider's long-running scheme to rig jackpots should be reimbursed for their losing tickets, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday that seeks class action certification. Lawyers filed the consumer fraud case against the Multi-State Lottery Association, the Iowa-based nonprofit that helps administer games that are offered by state lotteries. It alleges the association faile
Jan 4, 2017, 8:56 pm - Todd - Lottery News

Maine gives names of Hot Lotto winners to Iowa team looking into rigging schemeNews Story
The names of Mainers who won cash prizes in the Hot Lotto game between 2010 and 2014 have been forwarded to Iowa officials investigating a burgeoning jackpot fixing case that may have affected winnings in at least five states. Officials with the Maine State Lottery said Hot Lotto winners and prize amounts were shared with the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations. To date, investigators have not discovered any link between Maine Hot Lotto winners and Eddie Tipton, a former security offic
Dec 23, 2015, 2:25 pm - Todd - Lottery News