Games with no top prize remaining would be pulled from stores, if the measure is approved
If you buy a lottery ticket dreaming of winning a prize such as a hybrid car or $1 million in cash, those prizes should still be available when the ticket is sold, two New Jersey legislators contend.
State Assemblymen Paul Moriarty and John Burzichelli have co-sponsored legislation that would require lottery agents to be notified when the top lottery prizes have been awarded, so no other tickets will be sold.
The proposal has been referred to the Assembly Tourism and Gaming Committee.
Moriarty, vice-chairman of the Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee, called upon the state Lottery Commission in July to pull instant scratch-off games where top prizes have already been awarded.
"If players buy a $10 ticket for possibly a $1 million prize and there is no prize, they are given false information and it's just not fair," said Moriarty.
A few changes have already been made to the New Jersey Lottery Web site in response to the bill, according to Dominick DeMarco, chief of communications at the New Jersey Lottery.
"Before Assemblyman Moriarty brought this issue to our attention, the game status page on our Web site didn't exist," said DeMarco.
The Web site now has a link called "Games By Year" that shows which instant games are active, closing, closed and expired. Another link explains that "active" means that the game is currently active at New Jersey Lottery retailers; "closing" means that this game is no longer being distributed to Lottery retailers for sale; "closed" means that the game has ended; and "expired" means that the one year period for claiming prizes from the game has ended.
"I am aware that the lottery commission updated its Web site ... and sent information out to the stores who sell the tickets, but that doesn't satisfy me," said Moriarty. "Players shouldn't have to go to a Web site to get this information."
Players can also check the status of their game by calling the New Jersey Lottery at (609) 599-5800.
"We are trying to make our number more accessible to the public, because people say they don't have the Internet," DeMarco said. "That way, our number can be programed in their phone and they can call us on the way to a store to ask us what games are still active."
Within the next month, a legislative hearing is expected on this bill.
"This issue was brought to my attention by a friend who plays the lottery," said Moriarty. "They just shouldn't be selling these tickets."
Source: Gloucester County Times
