Killer Complained of Lottery Practices

The accountant who gunned down four people at state lottery headquarters in Newington before killing himself had complained to newspapers months beforehand that lottery players were being cheated. Matthew Beck, 35, who worked for the lottery for more than eight years, approached at least two newspaper reporters, telling them that the Connecticut Lottery Corp. exaggerated potential winnings to spur ticket sales and that store clerks were taking winning scratch tickets for themselves by cracking the computer system. His discussions with The Day of New London and the Hartford Courant included his complaints of unfair treatment at work. After taking a stress-related medical leave in October and undergoing treatment, he returned to work Feb. 25. Lottery officials declined to comment.