Buying lottery tickets would not be nearly as wise (or as fun) if you were a 100%-guaranteed loser. But, that is happening for some and all because of some douchebag retailers who are scamming the system.
Here is what is going on, via LA Daily News:
This is how it works. Vendors scratch out a tiny code at the bottom of a scratchers ticket and then enter that into a lottery computer to determine if the ticket is a winner, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said in a statement.
The merchant then cashes in the winning tickets and leaves their customers with the losing ones.
To make sure you do not get sold any pre-screened losing tickets, The LA District Attorney’s Office suggests that you closely examine the lottery ticket to see if any part of it has already been scratched. You can report any instances of tampering by calling 1-800-LOTTERY.
