Lottery fraudster claimed to be chasing Bigfoot
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Eddie Tipton, while working for the Multi-State Lottery Association in Iowa, orchestrated one of the most audacious lottery frauds in U.S. history, alongside his brother Tommy.
In his role as Information Security Director, Eddie had access to the lottery's systems and manipulated its random number generator with rogue computer code, enabling him to predict winning numbers for certain draws.
This scam came to light after a suspicious $14.3 million jackpot from a Hot Lotto draw remained unclaimed for nearly a year.
Investigations revealed that Eddie had rigged this and other lotteries in multiple states.
Tommy’s involvement
Tommy Tipton, Eddie's brother, was also involved and had suspiciously won a $568,990 Colorado Lottery jackpot in 2005, later linked to Eddie's manipulations.
In 2006, Tommy's attempt to exchange $450,000 in sequentially marked bills, while serving as a magistrate in Texas, attracted the FBI's attention.
He claimed he had won the Colorado lottery, which he said he didn't disclose due to his Christian beliefs against gambling.
Enter Bigfoot
He even fabricated a story about winning the lottery during a Bigfoot hunting trip in Colorado.
Despite these bizarre claims and after interviewing associated individuals, the FBI eventually closed the case, not immediately linking it to the larger lottery fraud.
