09/10/2025
The true story of the “Hot Lotto” scandal, a $20 million fraud so ingenious it took more than a decade to unravel and threatened to take down the entire lottery industry. Told by the confounded state Lottery CEO and the brash, young investigator who dared to outwit his mysterious—and quite unexpected—adversary.
Watch Now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xGsPAfQzakM
In December 2010, a lottery ticket worth 16.5 million dollars was sold at a QuikTrip convenience store in Des Moines, Iowa. It was the largest jackpot in Iowa Hot Lotto history. Nearly a year passed, and the prize sat unclaimed. Then, with only hours remaining until the ticket was set to expire, a seemingly legitimate claim finally emerged. What followed was a series of bizarre twists and turns that led investigators on a decade-long quest to uncover layers of subterfuge and eventually reveal a group of lottery winners who were secretly gaming the system. The most unexpected surprise of all? The mastermind behind the “perfect crime” was the last person lottery officials would ever expect.
Told with dark wit, engaging visuals, and refreshing candor, Jackpot: America’s Biggest Lotto Scam is both a fascinating whodunnit and an untold “under the hood” look at an industry that, despite every effort, remains unsettlingly fallible.
