Update 10.20.09: Do not funk with the lottery, IF you can find scratchers that is.

From the KATV Website...

A woman is arrested inside the Arkansas Lottery Headquarters Monday afternoon…and KATV’s cameras were there for the arrest. Police say Ruth Dennis, 56, tried to pass a fake winning ticket for the real thing at the claims center. Her friend, John Burch says he gave Dennis and her sister a ride from Camden with a $3,000 ticket. 

Lottery director Ernie Passailaigue says the ticket was clearly not real. He says she used the three times lucky scratch tickets and allegedly cut and pasted different numbers to make it appear like a winner.


“There’s no cure for stupid,” Passailaigue said, “And that’s what’s going to happen. People are going to try and defraud the lottery and they’re going to go to jail.


Over the past three weeks, Passailaigue says Monday’s incident was the first “fake” ticket arrest in the state. He says the best way to win the lottery is to play it.

Police say the woman has been charged with one count of fraud in relation to the lottery ticket.

Remember folks, it is ILLEGAL to attempt to defraud a state agency, whether it be the Department of Finance and Administration, the Tax Folks, The Farm Agencies, or the Lottery. 


Meanwhile the website has not started rolling the numbers on the new scratchers as of yet. AND I have reports from my army of intrepid field reporters that there are some parts of the state that have not even received the tickets as of yet. AHEM, Yo lottery folks, it is WAY to early in this little experiment for you to be dropping the ball like this! I will have more after lunch.