Blockchain-No More Jackpot Rigging
Currently working with True Flip (our friends and a client), we keep an eye on news on lotteries. Recently we came across one, we couldn’t ignore.
On June 29, 2017, Eddie Tipton, a former information security director at one of the US lottery organizations (Multi State Lottery Association) pleaded guilty in Iowa to the accusations of rigging lottery winnings. It is worth mentioning that we has altogether accused of felonies, spanning across 6 lotteries and states, and several years.[1] Being responsible for the software that would randomly select numbers, he purposefully manipulated code, that could enable him to know the winning numbers. He tipped his brother and others, splitting the prizes with them.
Tipton pleaded guilty in Wisconsin earlier in June, as part of a deal with several states, allowing him to serve some of the sentences concurrently.
Tipton, his brother and a third party are bound to paying money back and disclosing the details of their criminal scheme.
This story, and many more similar to it, make the case for blockchain-based solutions in running lotteries. Being a state-monopoly in many countries, the field hasn’t changed much. On top of that, the misconduct of the involved individuals, compromises the reputation. The ledger and smart contract technologies can bring transparency and fairness in the field.
Naturally our attention is on True Flip, that will be in the ICO stage until of July 27th. Having already raised more than $3 mln and having a wokring platform, the team is aiming for BTC 6125 to scale up the project and increase the jackpot.
[1] http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/midwest/ct-lottery-rigging-scandal-20170629-story.html