Ohio Lottery Set to Investigate Suspicious Frequent Wins

Reports indicate there have been more than normally expected lottery winners in recent times, prompting an investigation by Ohio Lottery.



Throughout the past few decades, many people in the state of Ohio have claimed large lottery prizes on several occasions. Considering that the chances of winning the lottery are rather slim, it has become quite suspicious to Ohio Lottery that so many people would manage to scoop huge winnings in a short period of time.



To discover the circumstances behind the large winning propensity, Ohio Lottery has now decided to initiate an investigation into the matter. Multiple-winners have been tracked to search for retailers who might be stealing the prizes or perhaps the store workers serving as proxies by giving in tickets for other wanting to avoid paying previous debts.

Players carry out suspicious practices

• Ohio lottery players enjoy frequent success


• Discounting is the common practice among lottery players


• Ohio officials aim to prevent these actions in the future

Ohio Lottery stared operations throughout the mid-1970s, and has seen 13 people claim prizes more than 100 times each. Each of the prizes were worth $600 or more, which suggest that something is out of place with the winning system, as reported by several mobile casinos.



The small examination carried out by a local newspaper uncovered that one man in particular has claimed over 300 prizes for the past six years straight. An unnamed man from Cleveland has amassed a fortune from the lottery, as his combined winnings since 2008 amount to over an impressive $800,000.



In other instances, retailers have often resorted to stealing prizes for themselves, which makes it one of the most prominent examples of lottery abuse carried out by people. Additionally, sometimes lottery winners would seek help from store employees to claim the tickets for them, so as to remain unknown as the real winner and avoid paying any debts that they have.



The individuals that rely on this system can turn a small profit as they often pay a discount for the lottery ticket. By doing so, the real winner is free from paying any financial obligations that he or she might have and thus gets to keep the proceeds remaining from the winnings. The Commission refers to this practice as “discounting.”



Using a proxy is not against US gambling laws, but it is against the rules set out by the Lotteries Commission. Both of the aforementioned practices are on the Commission’s agenda to prevent them from occurring in the future.

The repercussions for the perpetrators not clear

Retailers that get caught performing the “discounting” system with lottery tickets could face losing their employment at the respective stores. However, the Lottery Commission states that discounting cannot be prosecuted as it is not a criminal offense.



Marie Kilbane, spokesperson for Ohio Lottery, highlighted that the lottery’s stance on players avoiding to pay their debts is unlawful, but the legal matters associated with discounting are not clear. “The lottery’s position is that players taking measures to avoid a court order is unlawful. However the answer on the legality of discounting beyond that is unclear.”



Attorney General’s office spokesman, Dan Tierney, indicated that passing on a lottery ticket to someone else is not illegal for players to do so. However, depending on the case they may face other criminal charges that involves defrauding a creditor. “I can’t say in all cases that this is a crime or this isn’t a crime. It would be up to a local prosecutor to determine.”



A “lucky” winner named Edward Blain that hails from Nova, a village in the North of Ohio, has won more than 150 prizes that each held a value of over than $1,000 in the past twenty years. Blain stated that over the course of his exploits he hasn’t practiced discounting, but does know several lottery players that have performed this system.



He explained, “If you win $5,000, they’ll give you $3,200 in cash and then go turn it in for you.” The gap between the prices goes to taxes and the fee for the discounter himself, although Blain stated that he doesn’t know what stores exactly perform this action.



Another high-profile winner has emerged to be a man by the name of Rickey Meng who originates from Cleveland. According to gambling news, in a span of six years he has claimed over 300 prizes that were worth more than $600 each. Two thirds of the prizes were won on Pick 4 which saw him score some bog wins.



Ohio officials are now aiming to finally put a stop to these practices as they want to make the lottery a scrupulous and clean pursuit once again. Considering their detailed investigative work, Ohio should be seeing less and less of these sort of practices carried out.