Math leads to law enforcement activity

I did some mathematical consulting for an investigative report about lottery hijinks done by the Palm Beach Post. The Florida lottery responded quickly and raided the stores frequented by the top suspects.

 

Update (5/16/14): The Florida lottery has now suspended sales at 11 more stores, bringing the total to 14.

Update (6/1/14): Louis Johnson, the top suspicious winner, has confessed to cashing in tickets (which is illegal).

Update (6/18/14): The Florida lottery has started a new PSA campaign to encourage gamblers to sign their tickets, which aims to thwart the kinds of shenanigans that we highlighted.