Comments on: Ontario lottery scandal

By: Craig

Craig — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 12:34:41 +0000

Canadian lottery terminals have a quick scan method for checking your tickets. While some places have a self-scan device for customers, in others this is unavailable.

Since they only display numbers for the most recent draw in the store, if you have an older ticket, you’re probably going to hand it to the clerk to scan. It beeps, indicating a prize, but the cashier-side display isn’t visible to you. He tells you you’ve won a minor prize, like $10. Later, he or a confederate cashes in the ticket that won $100K.

This scam mostly works on casual lottery players; the hardcore check their own numbers before ever trying to cash in. Casual lottery players, though, may have bought the ticket on a whim weeks before when buying milk at a convenience store, and just be checking it because they happened to notice it cluttering their wallet.

By: Ryan Frank

Ryan Frank — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 11:36:57 +0000

I must admit I am also curious on how customer were ‘cheated’…. Most lotto tickets/games are fairly easy to understand if you won or not.

By: Dibby

Dibby — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 19:41:47 +0000

Why are people relying on a store clerk to tell them if they’ve won? Comparing a few numbers is not rocket science. Maybe ras is right about the Stupid Tax.

By: Zubon

Zubon — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 13:09:13 +0000

You could make a payout of the normal amount plus a constant, but that again raises the possibility of profiting from it because of increased interest in the better payout. The least stupid version I can think of is a lottery at a break-even percentage payout plus the penalty on top of that as part of the prize.

Hmm, must ponder. Is there a non-absurd way to work through the idea of selling tickets for a chance to win the punitive damages? (And how does this apply to normal jackpot justice…)

By: ras

ras — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 03:49:03 +0000

Free Rebates from the Stupid Tax, sign up here…!