9 People Took 1.3 Billion Each... US Prosecutors Late to Halt 'Musk Lottery'

Philadelphia District Attorney Sues Musk
Musk's 'America Pack' Offers 1.3 Billion Won Prize
9 Voters Have Won So Far... "Lottery Is Deceptive"

On the 28th (local time), the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office in Pennsylvania, one of the battleground states in the U.S. presidential election, filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, regarding his practice of giving cash prizes to voters. CNN reported that "Larry Krasner, the Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney, filed a lawsuit against Musk and 'America PAC'." Krasner claimed, "'America PAC' and Musk are making political pledges in exchange for cash prizes," adding, "This is a lottery and undoubtedly illegal."

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, took the stage and made a gesture at a rally supporting former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, held on the 27th (local time) at Madison Square Garden in New York.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Since the 19th, Musk has been offering a $1 million prize (approximately 1.38 billion KRW) daily to one person who signs a petition supporting freedom of speech and gun ownership rights, targeting voters in seven battleground states including Pennsylvania. This petition was created by 'America PAC,' which Musk organized in July to support the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump. 'America PAC' is a super PAC (special political action committee) involved in outside support activities for election campaigns in U.S. politics. Musk has stated, "The winner can belong to any party, be independent, or even not vote at all."

District Attorney Krasner argued, "Under Pennsylvania law, all lotteries must be operated and managed by the state, and Musk's daily $1 million prize operates outside these legal safeguards, so it must be stopped." He added, "Musk claims the winner selection is random, but several winners appeared at Trump rallies held in Pennsylvania, which seems false," calling the lottery rules deceptive. He stated that this action is based on Pennsylvania's lottery and consumer protection laws.

Earlier, the U.S. Department of Justice also warned that Musk's donation activities might violate federal laws that prohibit providing cash for voter registration. President Joe Biden criticized Musk's act of giving money to registered voters in key battleground states as "highly inappropriate," though he did not comment on its legality. CNN reported, "Musk's promise to pay prizes to registered voters immediately raised concerns among election law experts and some state officials, who questioned whether it violates the law."

Despite the lawsuit, the number of winners of the 'Musk lottery' has increased to nine. According to 'America PAC,' since the first drawing on the 19th, four Pennsylvania residents have won, and one winner each has been selected from North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona.