Lottery tickets list wrong jackpot prize

Some Powerball players will get refunds because of a misprint on Lotto 5, Cash 3 and Cash 4 tickets that showed last Wednesday's Powerball jackpot at $29 million instead of $15 million.

James Hawkins of Gallatin reported the misprint after stocking up on Powerball tickets Thursday and Friday, then spotting a billboard that didn't jibe with the jackpot printed on his Lotto 5 tickets.

Hawkins said he wouldn't have bought as many Powerball tickets if he'd known the jackpot was smaller. Lottery officials told him to return his Powerball tickets for a refund, he said.

"I don't think it's a situation where they intentionally overstated it to get more sales," Hawkins said. "But it's just once again sloppiness in management of their numbers."

Last month, a computer glitch prevented duplicate numbers from being drawn in Cash 3 and Cash 4 games, prompting the lottery to offer refunds or extra tickets.

Last week's problem occurred when vendor GTECH neglected to change the Powerball jackpot figure on tickets for other lottery games after someone won the $29 million Powerball that Wednesday, lottery spokeswoman Kym Gerlock said. The mistake was caught Friday and corrected, she said.

Gerlock said the lottery will work on a "case-by-case" basis with players who feel they deserve a refund. Players can call the lottery at 254-4946 or 1-877-786-7529 or visit one of its five offices.

Last Edited: September 13, 2007, 2:08 pm