More than 2 decades ago, in a dramatic shift, the government of the state of Ohio launched the state’s first ever lottery game. Ohio’s Super Lotto was an instant hit, as huge crowds flocked to the retailers where tickets were sold. Millions of people, men and women, boys and girls, could not wait to hear the news that the lottery had been launched.
It was during this time that the infamous Beat The Statute concerts came into being. Operated by Cassava Enterprises, they proved to be highly controversial both in Detroit and in Cincinnati. Why? Well, whatever the reason, there was definitely plenty of proof that the lottery was an idea which had to be stopped short of its realization.
The people who thought that they had found a way to beat the lottery were maniacal. One of these was Jack Abramoff. He was the leader of the infamous Sportsandal scandal which involved some of the biggest names in both the NBA and of college basketball.
Abramoff was a player himself, as were some of the stars of the 1980s. He was convicted of various counts of fraud, conspiracy and racketeering. After his capture, in 2003, he served time in Leavenworth Penitentiary. After he was released, in 2005, he made a $3.5 million deal with the government in return for information about others. In that way, he helped the government of Ohio in choosing the numbers for the next time lotteries were started.
In November of 2005, the state of Ohio started selling lottery tickets. Even before this could be announced, thousands of people began buying tickets. Just about every day since then.
On the 31st of December, 2005, the day lottery tickets went on sale, Jack Abramoff’s name was announced as the new Lottery President of Ohio Lottery. All bets would have to be $1,000. That would be a big deal, because Ohio Lottery was the only lottery in the world to offer such a high price.
Jack Abramoff made a positive comment about Togel SGP, of which was that he was going to quit his job.
There are two ways of looking at this story. Side one is that Jack Abramoff was a scam artist who convinced other people to part with their money and then he used that money to pay off his previous victims. That seems a little farfetched to me. I don’t think that an accredited and regulated lottery agency would allow this. The other side of that is that he legitimately won the Powerball jackpot. But, at the same time, I’m not sure that anything could have been done to stop this. He was a known quantity. There was nothing that the lottery could do because his scheme was too well laid out.
If the general public is concerned about being cheated, I ask them to what? Say that you, or someone you know, has had your bonus check negative recently. That it is now in the hands of Jack Abramoff. Fair enough, but does this mean that you can’t buy a ticket or play the lotto? I don’t think so. But, there are procedures that can be followed. The ACLS [Arbitration Commission] can make a determination that no claim can be verified. The NCAA [Amateur Sports Protection Act] provides that a Amateur Sports Protection Council shall examine the case. The result of that examination will be disclosed to the public. That is the process that has been used in this situation.
Jack Abramoff should be given credit for this one. He exposed himself to millions of dollars in order to help the cause of Lottery fraud. He helped to clean up the house for the previous victims, and is now a wanted man. If you know of others like this, call the National Lottery Office at (800) 690-2251and ask for Jack Abramoff’s mug shot.