Posted on: May 20, 2026, 11:35h.
Last updated on: May 20, 2026, 11:35h.
State-run lottery scratch-off games feature an abundance of security measures to protect against theft and other illicit activity. But that doesn’t stop criminals from trying to dupe the system.
A liquor store in Charleston is an authorized retailer of the South Carolina Education Lottery. Police in Chesterfield County allege two mini-mart workers stole hundreds of scratch-off tickets. (Image: Shutterstock)Trying to cheat a lottery is incredibly dumb. The latest case study comes by way of South Carolina, where law officials allege a duo tried to deceive the state-run lottery by stealing scratchers from their place of employment.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has charged Darlene Helms, 67, and Yoisha Renee Merrell Chambers, 47, with Intent to Defraud, Counterfeit Game Tickets. The two are being tried in Chesterfield County, with the felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison and/or fines of up to $50,000.
Camera Captures Lottery Crimes
South Carolina’s statewide investigative law enforcement agency alleges that Helms and Merrell Chambers stole hundreds of South Carolina Education Lottery tickets while working at the In & Out Mini Mart located at 1210 W. McGregor St. in Pageland.
The arrest warrants for Helms and Merrell Chambers allege that the two stole hundreds of scratch-off lottery tickets between March 11 and 18 from the In & Out Mini Market and later redeemed 369 of the plays for total cash winnings of $11,478.
These actions were captured on video surveillance. The affiant and others are witnesses to prove the same,” wrote law enforcement officer Will Duncan.
Helms and Merrell Chambers were arrested and charged on May 14. After being booked into the Chesterfield County Detention Center, a county judge later allowed for their release on personal recognizance bonds.
Why Cheating the Lottery Is Stupid
Before lottery scratch-off tickets are sold, retailers in South Carolina first use their lottery terminals to scan the packs to register them as “received.” From there, retailers “activate” the scratchers by scanning the brick’s barcode and loading the tickets into a dispenser.
Retailers are required to maintain a shift and daily log of games and pack numbers, including the beginning and ending ticket numbers and the number of tickets sold for each game during each shift.
SLED did not detail whether Helms and Merrell Chambers tried to conceal their theft by registering the tickets as sold. But the In & Out Mini Mart owners presumably would have been able to easily identify that considerable money was missing from the fraudulent sales.
The South Carolina Education Lottery advises retailers to never confront a person or employee thought to be stealing lottery tickets. Instead, the state lottery recommends suspicious activity be reported to the lottery’s Stolen/Missing/Defective Ticket Hotline at 1-866-269-5668.
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