A settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit stemming from the long-running lottery jackpot investigation that ended with three men being sentenced after admitting that they cooperated to commit lottery fraud.
The Iowa Lottery was not a party to the lawsuit, but we view this as a moment to look back and take pride in our work along with that of other Iowa officials who led the investigation. That effort ultimately led us all to this point where there can be a settlement for affected players.
The $4.3 million settlement in the case of Culler et al vs. the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) will provide refunds to those with nonwinning lottery tickets linked to the lottery fraud case that centered on Eddie Tipton, an Iowa man who worked for years in information-security at MUSL.
The settlement will allow refunds for the cost of tickets purchased in some lottery drawings between November 2005 and May 2013 in certain games sold around the country.
It’s our understanding that once the settlement reached by MUSL is approved by the court, a settlement website will be set up. That is the place where players who made purchases for the lottery drawings involved will be able to submit claims online or access claim forms that they can print out and submit by mail. We don’t have information yet about the settlement website, but we’ll share it when the details are provided to us.
Attorneys in the case say there will a mechanism for players who no longer have their tickets to file a claim.
The jackpot investigation case began with a lottery ticket purchased in December 2010 in Des Moines and culminated in 2017 with guilty pleas from three men who admitted they illegally claimed prizes by rigging lottery drawings in five states. Eddie Tipton, the man at the center of the investigation, worked at MUSL, an organization within the lottery industry, and installed malicious computer code that allowed him to predict winning numbers in some lottery drawings.
Tipton ultimately pleaded guilty to three felony charges in Iowa and Wisconsin and was sentenced in August 2017 to up to 25 years in prison. He had conspired with friends and family to claim lottery prizes in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. He also tried to claim a lottery jackpot in Iowa, but it was not paid after the Iowa Lottery’s security questions went unanswered.
Tipton’s younger brother, Tommy Tipton, also pleaded guilty in the case, as did Tipton’s long-time friend, Robert Rhodes.
Burlington resident Dale Culler is among at least three people who filed lawsuits naming MUSL in connection with the rigged games. A Polk County District Court judge granted Culler's request to seek damages on behalf of other lottery players in a class-action suit.
Hi, Dixie. All the details about the settlement process and how to file a claim are in this blog entry from Sept. 9:
https://www.ialotteryblog.com/2019/09/settlement-website-phone-number-announced-for-claims-in-jackpot-lawsuit.html
Posted by: Mary Neubauer | September 16, 2019 at 08:29 AM
I played Hot Lotto, Power Ball & Mega Millions every week during the times Eddit Tipton controlledthe numbers. How do I file for this settlement?
Posted by: Dixie Richards | September 15, 2019 at 05:54 AM
No body keeps non-winning tickets unless they know or suspect fraudulent activities are going on. I also bought many tickets during this time, $5.00 worth twice a week for Wednesdays and Saturdays drawings. I believe I am owed some money from this lawsuit.
Posted by: Valorie Hollan | August 22, 2019 at 06:19 PM
I never kept non winners. I had a lot of them.
Posted by: Tim Myrtue | July 25, 2019 at 10:40 AM
I played Hot Lotto religiously $5 twice a week. I thank Eddie Tipton for revealing that lotto games can be rigged when the winning numbers are computer generated and not the old original balls in a hopper method of drawing numbers. As far as I know Lotto America and Lucky 4 Life are the old balls in a hopper games and these are the 2 games I play religiously now. I've upped the stakes a bit and now I play 8 picks each twice a week on these two games, (just for the record) Mega Ball and Power Ball are also balls in a hopper games but the odds are better on Lotto America and Lucky 4 Life. Thanks again Eddie
Posted by: Kevin Pidima | July 24, 2019 at 08:43 PM