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Only losers want a participation trophy, winners want to win one.

By Steve Lombardi

If you wonder why you're a loser perhaps you need look no farther than the image you see in the mirror when brushing your teeth.

The Iowa Lottery began in February doing spot checks to see if store personnel properly handled winning tickets. Of course this is naïve at best because there are other ways to beat the customer when playing the lottery. The Lottery and DCI checks aren't enough. It's a good start but hardly enough to cover all the ways store clerks are cheating customers.

The latest checks follow earlier tests in February, April and May.

Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said that the lottery was pleased to work with the DCI in its latest checks.

'We are happy with the ongoing effort to prevent lottery fraud in Iowa,' Rich said. 'But the overall goal is to tell customers that signing their tickets prevents most opportunity for being scammed.'

What the lottery people don't know is the store employees have simply changed tactics to another con game. I shop for gasoline at Kum & Go, an Iowa or Midwest convenience store chain. The gas receipt has a 12 digit number printed across the bottom of it. If the customer enters that number in the online survey they are entered into a contest where they can win the Summer of 59 Sweepstakes. Many customers aren't aware of sweepstakes or the numbers on the bottom of the receipt. I am and what the heck I regularly enter those numbers online. I haven't won anything, but I still play. My wife laughs at me asking, "Well, have you won anything?" No but I still have hope of winning.

... April 21, 2009: New Report Criticizes Iowa Lottery Security, KCCI News

Well at the store located at E.P. True Parkway and South 50^th Street I purchased gas and the clerk, without asking, kept my receipt then stacked it on a pile of other receipts.

So here is my question, are the clerks of the Kum & Go stores playing the sweepstakes using customer 12 digit numbers and if so is that part of the new game?

Do people not feel shame anymore? Have participation trophy's created expectations in young adults that simply showing up should be enough for a pay check or a winning sweepstake or lottery?

FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT: Is the answer to frivolous Wall Street bonuses, The Participation Trophy Syndrome

If the owner of Kum & Go knew what these clerks were doing he'd be angry and then ashamed of the way his store name is being slandered by these small acts of deceit that cheat the customer of their chance at winning the Summer of 59 Sweepstakes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CGD4-8E_k4

Look at 3:48 minutes into this video; notice the act of honesty. When you're honest there is no reason to feel shame. Living honestly is the reward; the same goes for an honest days work. And remember, only losers want a participation trophy, winners want to win one.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on August 21, 2009 (boomark / email).