Massachusetts State Lottery officials knew for years that a small group of gambling syndicates had virtually taken over a game called Cash WinFall — winning most of the prizes during high payoff periods — but did nothing about it until the Globe began investigating, according to state Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan.
Sullivan’s report details the way a handful of math and science wizards, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology undergraduates looking for an interesting school project, turned Cash WinFall into a nearly full-time business, spending $40 million on tickets over a seven-year period and winning an estimated $48 million.
Comments
According to Grossman, "Revenues were tremendous and the lottery benefited..." I don't see to logic in that statement. If the syndicates got more money back than they put in, then the lottery didn't benefit. The math doesn't work.
what mumbo-jumbo. It seems to me that the lottery is not pushing punishments, because top officials are guilty themselves of looking the otherway... Z.
And we paid for this report? Thank God that this moronic Inspector Gadget is out of office today, only to reappear on someone else's payroll very soon, because he can't get a real job.
As soon as the lottery knew about them, they should have closed any loopholes.
I'm an average gambler spending money I can afford to enjoy the lottery games. I early on saw the advantage of buying extra Cash WinFall tickets near the the Rolldown. I'd buy a multidraw number then watch the jackpot grow. When Rolldown was to occur I'd buy 10-20 tickets for that night's drawing. On 4 occasions over time I collected 800 + dollars and 150 + dollars about 6 + times. I never lost at WinFall. A mathematician friend of mine at BU said one time, way before the exposé, if he had 100K + dollars he'd probably "invest" it in Cash WinAll at the Rolldown. I know I was lucky to win those times but many of us knew the advantage of buying more tickets at that time. Luck of the draw was on my side. Certainly the math wizards at the lottery knew this described advantage and the volume of tickets sold at that time they also knew that the theory was being put to the test. And by knowing where the "winning tickets" we're being sold the theory was q.e.d. It should have been revealed and stopped sooner. Unless, of course, not if I was winning...more.
It's George Bush's fault.
It was my understanding that lottery vendors were not allowed to participate in any Mass Lottery games, especially through their own sales. If that's not the rule, then why isn't it? Everyone who purchased a Cash WinFall losing ticket during this condoned scam should receive his or her money back. Period. With the commonwealth itself participating in lopsided lottery enterprises, what confidence can we have with its oversight of casinos?
Why was this loop-hole not challenged or changed immediately by the Lottery Commission?
To say that the average player still had a chance is a bunch of HORSE PUCKEY. I bought winfall tickets throughout most of its run, 2 numbers 2x a week, more when it was a rolldown week. I always thought I had as good a chance as the next person. At the beginning I would win, a few free tickets here and there and several times I even won money on the lower levels on a rolldown week. But after the first year I won nothing more than free tickets. Then press reports about the professionals buying up the jackpots came out and restrictions were put in place, Finally. Right before the games was ended I the average player started winning small but still winning. which proves the average player had less chance of winning while the PROs were buying in bulk. 1. The Lottery commission should have acted sooner 2. No Further action, ARE YOU CRAZY, if the people responsible for not stopping this are still working for the commission they should be FIRED. 3. The only reason people like me play the lottery is because we always thought we had as good a shot as anybody else at winning...a longshot maybe but still a shot. If that is not true why bother? 4. I wish I had kept all my losers because I would file a law suit. my grounds being if the lottery knew their games were being undermined by these professional players and did nothing then aren't they complicit in defrauding the average player who played in good faith? I know I took my chances and I lost...but still the Lottery should have done something sooner.