Editiorial/Opinions by Dawn Nettles

The following Press Release was issued today (4/21/09) by the State of Iowa, Citizens Aide/Ombudsman.
The press release summarizes the findings regarding fraud and theft of winning tickets by retailers.

Click here to read the Press Release pdf, (3 pages)

Click here to read the Iowa Ombudsman Report pdf - (210 Pages).

This is the first time I have ever seen what I'd call an honest report released by any
state official pertaining to the Lottery.

Here in Texas, I am accustomed to seeing reports that are written in such a manner as to
hide the truth ... with one exception that I can remember. And it was a security report
where the security officer stated that a ticket in question was never reported as being stolen.
In this particular case, the TLC stopped payment on a players $35K check. The TLC has
yet to pay the man even though Security found the ticket in question was not stolen
nor was it ever reported to the Police as having been stolen. The Texas Lottery
saw an opportunity to not fund a top prize and took it.

Anyway, on to the Reports released today regarding clerks stealing players winnings.

I'm posting both the Press Release (3 pages - pdf) and the official report (210 pages - pdf).

I urge ALL of you to read the press release and I urge you to all read the actual detailed report.

And finally, I URGE all of you to CHECK YOUR OWN tickets - do NOT ask store clerks
to check them via the lottery terminals. KNOW what you have coming before handing your ticket over.
Also, BEWARE, the terminals err too so there's a double whammy that players risk.

I've requested multiple times that a law be written forbidding clerks from checking players tickets ...
to NO avail. It is apparent to me that the Texas Lottery does not care to protect us players.

Click here to read the Press Release

Click here to read the Iowa Ombudsman Report.