The state of Arizona has entered the wave of US lottery reforms with a new framework that limits bulk ticket purchases.
Mandated by the Arizona Lottery Commission, the changes were implemented with the goal to preserve fairness and protect the integrity of its Fast Play instant games.
Titled “Prohibition of Bulk Ticket Purchases”, the ban is already in effect and restricts excessive purchasing of Fast Play tickets over a certain amount and timeframe.
Regardless of whether playing alone or as part of a coordinated group, anyone who purchases more than $50,000 in Fast Play tickets within a 24-hour window risks not having their tickets validated if they scored a prize.
This is done so that the Commission can retain a high level of public trust through policy fairness and transparency, directly taking preemptive action against suspicious purchasing behaviour.
Commenting on the new regulation, Alec Thomson, Executive Director of the Arizona Lottery, said: “Our goal is to ensure that every player has a fair chance at winning and that the integrity of our games remains strong.
“This update protects our players and supports the Lottery’s mission of maximizing net revenue in a responsible way.”
If any behaviour is seen as suspicious, the Arizona Lottery retains all rights to investigate further and uncover potential foul pay by examining purchasing patterns and using tools like transaction data, surveillance footage, and retailer reports.
As mentioned above, anyone can have their claim to winnings denied at the discretion of the Arizona Lottery Commission.
The new framework will be made prominently visible within the official Fast Play game rules, with the exact threshold and time limits subject to change when necessary.
Bulk ticket purchases became a widely-discussed issue across the US earlier this year, with an investigation into a group of individuals who won a $95m Texas jackpot by putting in a ticket bulk order with an estimated value of $23m during a 2023 drawing.