Will the Money Really Be There If You Win at Scratch-Offs?

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Tennessee Lottery
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February 10, 2005
NewsChannel 19's Tom Woodard reportstom.woodard@whnt.com
Lottery scratch off games without the top prizes -- it's been a problem in the state of Florida, but what about here in neighboring Tennessee?
The money is still here, but for some players of the scratch-off games, it's not the big bucks that make them play. You can win up to a quarter of a million dollars playing scratch-offs, but what if the big money has already been won by somebody else?
"Lot of people will ask, 'Have you had any winners today?' That's their question," says Patsy Ivey of Fayetteville.
According to Tennessee lottery officials, the top tier prizes have never run out.
"Most people aren't really expecting to win the top prize, but it is there," says Ivey.
And if it isn't?
"As new as it is, it's got to have some of the top prizes left on it, and you're going to hear if they're not," says Wade Towry of Fayetteville.
Word of mouth is the best way to hear the news of winners and losers. There's also the Tennessee lottery web site, where the unclaimed prizes are listed.
But what's the secret of winning one of those prizes?
"Somebody scratching a bunch of them and hadn't hit anything, I'll scratch some of them then," says Towry.
But whether you're playing scratch-offs or Powerball, it all comes down to one thing.
"It's a game of luck, and somebody's going to win," says Ivey.
Patsy Ivey just wants it to happen in her store. If you want to know if a big prize has been won in the Tennessee lottery, just click here: Tennessee Lottery