SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- A newspaper investigation has identified 13 people who have claimed prizes from Ohio's state lottery more than 100 times each, including a Cleveland man who claimed more than 300 prizes totaling $800,000 since 2008.
The Springfield News-Sun reports investigators at the Ohio Lottery track such multiple winners to look for retailers who are stealing prizes or taking a cut to redeem winning tickets for customers who want to avoid paying taxes, child support or other debts.
The paper examined every prize claim of $600 or more back to the lottery's launch in the 1970s.
The Ohio Attorney General has collected nearly $8.4 million in back taxes and debts from lottery prizes since 2003. The lottery's received some $2.8 million in child support from prize winners since 2001