In one of the largest lottery cases in the nation in quite sometime, a Washington and Lee professor is filing suite against our friends at the Virginia Lottery for the production of false advertising. The professor, Scott Hoover, states that the institution falsely advertised tickets which had no chance of giving a purchaser the big jackpot. According to local CBS affiliate WDBJ7, Hoover is asking for the reimbursement of "an estimated 26.5 million tickets" purchased over a period of 5 years.
In a hasty decision, the VA Loto asked a judge to dismiss the case on the grounds that Hoover was in no position to question the Lottery's decision. However, the Richmond Circut Court judge disregarded the dismissal inquiry.
So why is this a big deal? Well, recently the VA Loto was in some hot soup for their print of "invalid" tickets which had so many people claiming a 777,777 dollar prize that the most anyone would get was about $17. The Lottery has tried their best over the past years to improve the quality of their scratchers so as more prizes could be distributed. The next issue would be where the money from the Hoover case has and will go to. The VA Loto's biggest Charity is education. With a 26 million dollar education donation over the past 5 years in question, some may wonder why this is a bad thing. Well, it's not really. The fact of the matter is that if you gamble, you gamble. Getting some Lucky Seven tickets at 7-11 doesn't mean you'll be the next Bill Gates. You have a better chance of getting struck by lightning...twice.
While the case is not over, Hoover does have a valid argument. The tickets did say that a winner was guaranteed. But, fine print is an institution's best friend. VA Lotto is no Vegas, folks. There will be winners and losers. There are a few ways to actually win...not a large amount, but a fair amount...thru lottery tickets and scratchers. In the mean time, just support the cause and thank God you can gamble. Just...don't get addicted. Good luck.
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