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A lottery ticket was sold with part of the numbers already scratched off.

AUBURN-

Strange things are afoot in Auburn

Most of us have played the lottery at one point. We all know the chances of winning big are slim, but for Doug Randall in Auburn, his chances were zero because he says his ticket had been tampered with.

“As I was scratching off that bar code, I kind of went, ‘wow’,” Randall told FOX40.

Randall noticed while playing his regular lotto game that his ticket had been tampered with. Insiders know that while the scratch-offs may be fun, clerks use the numbers at the bottom to determine if it’s a winner or loser.

Randall’s ticket numbers were showing.

“Out of the corner of my eye I just caught it. I had another ticket, so I pulled the other ticket over I looked and I went, ‘that can’t be a coincidence,'” said Randall.

Randall went back to buy more tickets. This time, he said he noticed the clerks weren’t ripping them off the roll. They were already separated.  Randall wanted proof that clerks were searching for the winners and only selling the losing tickets to customers.

He called the California Lottery and while he waited for their response, he caught the scam on camera. His wife is seen on video buying the tickets. The teller doesn’t rip the ticket off the roll. When they got outside, the video also shows the numbers were exposed on this ticket, too.

Randall’s video was enough for the Lotto to launch their own investigation.

“They did a sting. I guess while they were at the store they obviously bought tickets that had been pinned as well because they shut them down that day,” said Randall.

The California Lottery has pulled the game from that store and they are launching a full investigation. Randall says his family has lost thousands playing there.

“I think I am owned an apology from the owner of the store,” said Randall.

The Super K, on Auburn Folsom Boulevard, would not comment on the matter.

 

FOX40’s policy is to immediately correct or clarify any errors or omissions. 

In a previous version of this story posted on FOX40.com, the store where this incident happened was incorrectly identified as a “Circle K.” The store involved is in fact named “Super K,” which is in no way affiliated with the national convenience store group, Circle K, owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard.  We regret this mistake and apologize to Circle K and our readers.