Taking Chances on Integrity: An Investigation of the Iowa Lottery

The Iowa Lottery has failed to adequately protect its customers from fraud and theft by retailers. That is the key conclusion of the Iowa Citizens’ Aide/Ombudsman in a critical report released today. The 210-page report, which makes 60 recommendations to the Lottery, is the culmination of a year-and-a-half-long investigation into how the Lottery polices and prevents retailer fraud and theft. In general, the Ombudsman found that the Lottery has maintained a weak, reactive enforcement system that fails to detect retailer dishonesty independently of customer complaints. This means that there likely have been instances of fraud – possibly largescale fraud – that have gone undetected. The Ombudsman’s examination marks the first time the Iowa Lottery’s investigative files have been audited by an outside authority. It also appears to be the first full-scale investigation of its kind in the United States.