As a kid I remember seeing homer chest the lotto scratch offs with some kind of xray vision

What is that scratchoff stuff, lead based?!?

I believe the lottery office sells them -- give them a call.

just did the math again: 81350 tickets left, 1,542,175 in prize money.

$728,675 in overlay

8.95 +EV each ticket?

If they are sold back to the state, do you think the state keeps them since they are now +EV

I just called 48 places. 0/48 one place got my hopes up but they heard cash blast instead of classic black.

Well, if people are still cashing them in they gotta be somewhere.

Unless someone beat us all to it and bot them all.

I found some today. Looks like 20 or so left. Didn't have any $$$ on me, or I'd have bought. Hopefully going to hit it up on Friday (it's quite a drive from where I live) on my way downstate.

good luck! def. worth the $200 investment. keep us posted!

my question is, why are they legally allowed to buy the tickets back. They show on their website that there are 2 500k prizes. If I buy 20 tickets because of this fact but find out later that all the tickets have been returned including the 500k then that means I had no chance at winning the top prize that they advertise. What if I bought 500 tickets early on and no one ever won the top prize and all tickets were returned. How am I to know that there ever was a top prize available. Sounds to me like this could be a lawsuit! Who's in?

I assume this is a joke. Obvs not 'all' tix have been returned if you're out buying them. Your odds haven't changed if I bot them or the state bot them back. If it makes you feel better, pretend I'm holding them. Maybe even have both winners scratched off from months ago.

there was a lawsuit like this in diff state, let me try and find link

definite logistics problem, these things are only ever getting deep into plus EV late in the lottery's life (this one ends oct) after many of the tickets have been sold back. called the lotto dept and tried to find out info about the buying back, locating tickets ('they are my friends favorite, it's her birthday') and had no luck.

Snap glad I stumbled across this, I live in the Flint area so I might go take a look around today.

No joke at all. Theoretically, If there are 1000 tickets available as per their website and 2 of the tickets are worth 500k but the state bought 900 back. I buy the other 100 tickets, the odds have not changed I supposed but if I didn't pull the winning ticket there is no way for me to win the jackpot. How am I to know that they didn't know where the winning ticket was and went and pulled it from the store themselves. Yes this sounds like a conspiracy theory but I am just saying it is possible. I feel that all tickets should be available to the public and never sold back.

I agree. The people who run the game should act as referees only -- and not in any way influence the game. The state lotteries are the most incestuous and self-regulated bodies you'll ever find -- and they're rarely challenged. The reason is, with an ~50% hold, all they do is deliver money.

Regarding conspiracy theories -- here's one I ran across yesterday ...

i live in Michigan and so find this an interesting thread. Just wondering, wouldn't it behoove the State to not announce that a 500k ticket had been redeemed, or to at least delay the annoucement considerably, so as to keep people's hopes up and therefore keep buying tickets?

It would, but they seem to be honest when you look at all the other games with their top prizes gone.

Move to BBV?

would this be a beat or a brag? I am pretty sure we all know its the former.

You, sir, are expert at trolling. Well done!

really? How is this trolling? I simply showed that if there are 1000 tickets with 2 top prizes available as per THEIR website I should have a chance to win the top prize. I am in the belief that the top prize is available to the public. I then buy 100 tickets and don't win. Since the state already has the remaining tickets there is NO WAY for me to win the top prize yet their own website is telling me that I do have a chance.

If the state is going to take the tickets back I feel they should reveal the prizes that have been returned. If they returned both top prizes but accurately recorded this on their website I would be buying the tickets knowing I have no chance of winning.

If you have a ticket -- you do have a chance to win.

You need to read the regulations. In some states unredeemed/unsold winners are added to prize pools in other games -- just like casinos can do with progressive jackpots. The only rule -- again, in some states -- is that the prize was available to everyone who played and, that the money is eventually paid out. If, OTOH, the state knew it held one of the winners and it was not for sale -- they would be obligated to remove it from the prizes available.

1 for 4. I bought the last four at the store and got 10 bucks back. The clerk said they have been on a hot run on them.

Burbs aren't too bad around Flint, too bad I work and go to school in Flint though.

Searched like 15-20 places and couldn't find any tickets. Prolly giving up on it.

C'mon Sheetwise, if he doesn't have the winning ticket he can't win.

QED!

I'm learning