
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 26, 1994                   TAG: 9401260160
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

DEFECTIVE TICKETS WON'T STOP LOTTERY GAME

The Virginia Lottery plans to continue offering Cash Explosion tickets despite misprints that led two players to believe they had won $50,000 last week.

But the lottery is prepared to end the scratch-off game if more misprints are found, spokeswoman Paula Otto said Monday.

"Because we had no more reports . . . we're going to allow retailers to continue to sell the game," Otto said.

Cash Explosion ticket holders try to make three matches on nine chances by scratching off symbols of firecrackers and comparing what's underneath. The possible matches range from a free ticket to $50,000.

On one of the misprinted tickets, an additional $50,000 appeared upside down, and the ticket was voided. The ticket holder was refunded the $1 cost of his ticket. In the other misprint, the word "five" appeared under a $50,000 figure. The ticket holder collected $5 instead of $50,000.

Otto said Scientific Games Inc., which prints the tickets for the lottery at a plant in Alpharetta, Ga., has been unable to explain the misprints.

by CNB