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The video was grainy, but it showed enough to possibly crack open the biggest lottery scam in American history.
這個視頻畫面有顆粒感，但這足以破解美國歷史上最大的彩票騙局。
A heavyset man walks into a QuikTrip convenience store just off Interstate 80 in Des Moines, Iowa, two days before Christmas 2010.
2010年圣誕節前兩天，在愛荷華州得梅因80號州際公路旁，一名身材魁梧的男子走進一家QuikTrip便利店。
The hood of his sweatshirt is pulled over his head, obscuring his face. He grabs a fountain drink and two hot dogs.
他運動衫的兜帽拉過頭頂，遮住了臉。他買了一杯飲料和兩個熱狗。
“Hello!” the cashier says brightly. Head down, the man replies in a low-pitched drawl: “Hell-ooooh.”
“你好!收銀員興高采烈地說。那人低下頭，慢吞吞地低聲說：“見鬼!”
They exchange a few more words. The man pulls two pieces of paper from his pocket.
他們又交談了幾句話。這名男子從口袋里拿出兩張紙。
The cashier runs them through the lottery terminal and then hands over some change.
收銀員使它們通過彩票終端機，然后遞交了一些零錢。
Once outside, the man pulls off his hood, gets into his SUV, and drives away.
一到外面，這名男子就脫下兜帽，鉆進他的SUV，開車離開了。
The pieces of paper were play slips for Hot Lotto, a lottery game that was available in 14 states and Washington, DC.
那兩張紙是熱樂透的投注單，這是一種彩票游戲，在美國14個州和華盛頓特區都可以買到。
A player (or the game’s computer) picked five numbers and then a sixth, known as the Hot Ball.
一個玩家(或者游戲的電腦)選擇了5個數字，然后選擇了第6個，這就是熱球。
Players who got all six numbers right won a jackpot that varied according to how many tickets were sold.
所有六個號碼都答對的玩家將贏得頭獎，頭獎金額根據售出的彩票數量而定。
At the time of the video, the jackpot was approaching $10 million. The stated odds of winning it were 1 in 10,939,383.
在拍攝這段視頻時，頭獎金額接近1000萬美元。據說中獎的幾率是10939383分之一。
Six days later, on December 29, the Hot Lotto numbers were selected: 3, 12, 16, 26, 33, 11.
六天后的12月29日，熱樂透中獎號碼被選中：3，12，16，26，33，11。
The next day, the Iowa Lottery announced that a QuikTrip in Des Moines had sold the winning ticket.
第二天，愛荷華州彩票機構宣布，是得梅因市的一個QuikTrip便利店售出了該中獎彩票。
But no one came forward to claim the now $16.5 million jackpot.
但沒有人站出來認領金額為1650萬美元的頭獎。
After a month passed, the Iowa Lottery held a news conference to note that the money was still uncollected.
一個月過去了，愛荷華州彩票機構召開新聞發布會，宣布這筆錢仍未領取。
The lottery issued another public reminder three months after the winning numbers were announced,
在中獎號碼宣布三個月后，公司又向公眾發出提醒，
then another at six months and again at nine months, each time warning that winners had one year to claim their money.
然后又在六個月后和九個月后分別發出提醒，每次都提醒獲獎者有一年的時間領取獎金。
In November 2011, a man named Philip Johnston, a Canadian attorney, called in with the correct serial number from the winning ticket.
2011年11月，一位名叫菲利普·約翰斯頓的加拿大律師打來電話，提供了中獎彩票上正確的序列號。
But when asked what he’d been wearing when he bought it, his description of a sports coat and gray flannel dress pants did not match the QuikTrip video.
但是，當問到他買彩票時的穿著時，他回答的運動外套和灰色法蘭絨西褲和便利店的視頻不相符。
Then, in a subsequent call, the man admitted he had “fibbed”; he said he was helping a client claim the ticket so the client wouldn’t be identified.
然后，在隨后的電話中，該男子承認自己“撒了個小謊”；他說，他是在幫助一位客戶認領彩票，這樣就不會透露這位客戶的身份。
This was against the Iowa Lottery rules, which require identities of winners to be public.
這違反了愛荷華州彩票機構的需要公布獲獎者身份的規定。
Lottery officials were suspicious: The winner’s anonymity was worth $16.5 million?
彩票機構官員對此表示懷疑：獲獎者的匿名身份價值1650萬美元?
