S.C. Stores Accused Of Selling Illegal Lottery Tickets

Police said a York County man was making thousands of dollars creating and selling illegal lottery tickets.

However, it was not an underground operation. Police said it was happening at two of York County's most popular lottery retailers.

Last week, agents with York County's multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement unit went undercover to buy lottery tickets from the Lotto World on Highway 51 and the Lottery Super Center on Highway 21. Both stores are near Carowinds.

Deputies said they found the stores selling illegal scratch-off cards called "Daily Prophecy." Drug unit commander Marvin Brown said it was obvious they were not official tickets, and customers playing the game knew it.

"They clearly knew this was not state lottery tickets on the up and up," Brown said. "They had to ask for them, then (the clerk would) reach under the counter and pull out the illegal lottery tickets."

Agents were tipped off by a customer who claimed he'd lost $30,000 playing the illegal scratch-off cards.

Drug unit officers said one store made about $10,000 a day on illegal ticket sales and the other brought in $6,000 a day.

The stores sold real lottery tickets, too, but South Carolina only allows retailers to keep 7 percent on the dollar for each ticket they sell. With the "Daily Prophecy" cards, the retailers kept all the money, officers said.

"This is just clear profit. The money from the sales goes back in the owner's pocket," Brown said.

Police have warrants out for the owner of both stores, 31-year-old Jayson Parker. He'll face misdemeanor charges of running an illegal lottery and operating a gaming house.

Officials with the South Carolina Education Lottery in Columbia said Parker has agreed to shut down Lotto World and the Lottery Super Center and return all of his legitimate lottery machines.

Brown said he's not sure how long the illegal scratch-offs were being sold, but when he went into the store undercover, he said customers inside were all playing the illegal games.

"There were about 20 people in there lined up, and they were all cashing in the illegal tickets. Not one person I saw had a legal lottery ticket," he said.

Both stores were empty and quiet Thursday evening.