Security measures in place for the start of the Oklahoma Lottery

The state <b><a class="headlinelink" href="http://www.kotv.com/main/home/searchKOTV.asp?mainSearch=lottery">lottery</a></b> kicks off this week and many Oklahomans say they can't wait to snap up some

Tuesday, October 11th 2005, 10:23 am

By: News On 6

The state lottery kicks off this week and many Oklahomans say they can't wait to snap up some tickets. But there might be thieves who are waiting to grab a few themselves.

News on 6 reporter Steve Berg explains lottery security.

The lottery might be random, but there's nothing random about the tickets. They're all carefully catalogued to ward off the illegal ticket takers. The lottery tickets are hot off the press. But a hot ticket, that is to say a stolen one, won't get you very far. "I mean there are programs where they're deactivated. These things have been around for a long time, so they have a pretty good idea what the criminal element might do or may not do." Mike Thornbrugh at Quik Trip says their clerks know exactly which tickets are in the store and which ones are sold. And they're not exactly sitting out in the open.

In the unlikely event that somebody did get a hold of a bunch, those tickets would simply be switched off. Lottery director Jim Scroggins says the effectiveness and the speed depends a lot on the retailer. "It does happen and if we can get the cooperation from the retailer location, we can block the system so that none of the prizes can be paid. They have to notify us or we have no way of knowing."

On the off-chance that somebody tried to double-up on a winning ticket, they've got that covered too. Mike Thornbrugh: "Once there's a winner, and once it's scanned, the ticket can never be used again.â€ When it comes to stealing, they say lottery tickets are a surprisingly poor choice. Mike Thornbrugh: "It won't do you any good; they are rendered useless if stolen."