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Eastern Time (GMT-5:00) | Home -> Forums -> Lottery News -> Lottery fight brewing in Massachusetts Lottery fight brewing in Massachusetts Massachusetts Lottery: Lottery fight brewing in MassachusettsOnce the Blackstone man won more than $3,000 in a week. Another time, he scored about $20,000 on a winning lottery ticket. But the one time he hit the $1 million jackpot, he said, he accidentally threw away his fortune. Now he wants to collect his riches and has hired a lawyer to wrench the winning ticket away from the 82-year-old Blackstone resident who said he found it in the garbage last week. "He's pretty emotionally upset," said Dan Doyle, a Blackstone lawyer representing the buyer of the ticket, who is in his 50s and wants to remain anonymous. "Obviously, he also is concerned . . . because this older gentleman found this windfall and he looks like the bad guy because he's trying to get what's rightfully his." Doyle said yesterday that his client went into the White Hen Pantry convenience store in Blackstone last week and bought more than $600 worth of tickets. While still in the store, he scratched each ticket, placing the losing ones in a pile. He accidentally put the winning ticket in the loser pile, which he then threw in the wastebasket. The store owner called to tell him that Edward St. John went into the trash can right after he left, Doyle said. The incident was filmed on the store's video camera, Doyle said. But St. John maintains he found the ticket in a garbage bin outside. "Well I'll be darned," he said in a brief telephone interview yesterday. "Can you imagine that? That's all I got to say." Boston Globe We'd love to see your comments here! Register for a FREE membership — it takes just a few moments — and you'll be able to post comments here and on any of our forums. If you're already a member, you can Log In to post a comment. 51 comments. Last comment 7 years ago by . new delhi India Member #22479 September 20, 2005 174 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 7:02 am - IP Logged | |
if he can prove that he bought that particular ticket..fingerprints or receipts or whatever, then it's his other I'm afraid St.John is the lucky winner | | |
New Mexico United States Member #12540 March 10, 2005 2987 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 7:56 am - IP Logged | |
Guy's spending a lot of money on lottery tickets. And lawyer, most likely. (Ironic coincidence, the Blackstone thing). I don't know how the law works on such matters, but if it came to a jury deciding I'd like to think the jury members would take the approach that when you throw something away it ceases to be your property. If a dumpster-diver's lucky enough to find it, it's his. This guy can only guess the ticket was his unless he has play slips lying about, which could have been done after the draw. Here's hoping the dumpster diver gets to keep his stroke of good fortune. Jack Absorb the good, ignore the bad, weigh the ugly. It's about number behavior. Egos don't count. Dedicated to the memory of Big Loooser | | |
United States Member #3331 January 7, 2004 148 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 8:03 am - IP Logged | |
Why did the store owner call the big gambler to tell him about the old man's find in the trash can? Seems like he was jealous and wanted to stir up trouble! I can understand throwing away a winner if this was on the $10 Poker ticket -- Those tickets are hard to decipher if you don't play cards/poker and need to know what beats what to know if it's a winner or not. It's still finder's keepers though! Also, when will people learn to stay quiet and keep their good fortune/find to themselves? They always have to brag about it and consequently bring all this trouble on themselves! | | |
new delhi India Member #22479 September 20, 2005 174 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 8:19 am - IP Logged | |
Guy's spending a lot of money on lottery tickets. And lawyer, most likely. (Ironic coincidence, the Blackstone thing). I don't know how the law works on such matters, but if it came to a jury deciding I'd like to think the jury members would take the approach that when you throw something away it ceases to be your property. If a dumpster-diver's lucky enough to find it, it's his. This guy can only guess the ticket was his unless he has play slips lying about, which could have been done after the draw. Here's hoping the dumpster diver gets to keep his stroke of good fortune. Jack amen | | |
new delhi India Member #22479 September 20, 2005 174 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 8:21 am - IP Logged | |
BabyJC, the guy was excited..I doubt if I could have kept the good news to myself had i been in his place | | |
Right here...can't you see me? United States Member #21854 September 10, 2005 131 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 8:23 am - IP Logged | |
When I first read this story, I didn't realize this was a scratch off ticket. The buyer is an idiot. "Oh this one is a million dollar winner. Isn't that nice. Well, let me stick it in a pile and keep scratching" With scratch off tickets, if you win, it will spell out (with three letters) what you won. $10=ten $1= one Free=fre $100= hun Seriously...look at your next scratch off ticket that you win. They do that so it's easier for the cashier to tell. If he didn't see the mil or whatever it says when you win a million (I wouldn't know) or if he knew and accidently put it in the "wrong pile" it's his loss....move on with life. You can't win a court case. Even with camera footage....it doesn't show you scratched off a winner. The fact that the cashier calls up Dude and tells him what happened, is jacked up. He was probably promised a little chunk of money if he would testify. Let the trashdiver blows the money on trashcans to maintain his hobby. Let him invest it all and 20 years become a multi-millionaire.....JUST LET HIM HAVE IT. (sorry if I sound mean....working on my first cup of coffee here! lol) Stephanie | | |
new delhi India Member #22479 September 20, 2005 174 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 8:26 am - IP Logged | |
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United States Member #3331 January 7, 2004 148 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 8:49 am - IP Logged | |
BabyJC, the guy was excited..I doubt if I could have kept the good news to myself had i been in his place People who do not want to bring the stress and trouble into their life, that this old man is now going through, do not say anything and make a big fuss. All he had to do was go to Lottery headquarters and cash his ticket like every other winner, and no one would have ever known that he got it in a garbage can! You have to be smart -- And yes, you can be both excited and smart at the same time! If the old man loses his case, I don't feel sorry for him for not being smart and keeping it quiet! | | |
United States Member #3331 January 7, 2004 148 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 8:59 am - IP Logged | |
Whit - You can't go buy the codes when you're dealing with the big winners (thousands of dollars, etc.) -- They do not spell out what the big prize is. When you see stores hang up photocopies to show off the big prizes that their store sold, look at the codes on the photocopied ticket -- They do not spell out what the corresponding big prize was. I wanted to know what the codes were for big winners, so I started taking notice when many stores hang up their photocopies, and the code letters on the winning big prize tickets do not correspond to the prize and just look like losing codes! | | |
United States Member #983 December 30, 2002 459 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 10:08 am - IP Logged | |
The lottery needs to make it clear that unless you are assaulted and have the winning ticket taken from your person, it is finders keepers. Even if video evidence shows Mr. Knucklehead throwing his tickets away, it should make no difference, he threw the ticket away and it now belongs to whoever took it out of the trash. Case closed. What now make me feel even less sorry for the guy who allegedly threw the ticket away is that he now claims he knew he had won a million dollars but "accidently put the winning ticket in the loser pile." I'm sorry, the normal person does not casually put a million dollar winner in the same pile as $5 and $10 winners. >People who do not want to bring the stress and trouble into their life, that this old man is now going through, do not say anything and make a big fuss. All he had to do was go to Lottery headquarters and cash his ticket like every other winner, and no one would have ever known that he got it in a garbage can! You have to be smart -- And yes, you can be both excited and smart at the same time! If the old man loses his case, I don't feel sorry for him for not being smart and keeping it quiet! I totally agree. Be smart and quiet and you will end up on easy street, not paying a lawyer for a long expensive lawsuit. | | |
Atlantic Mine, Michigan United States Member #417 June 23, 2002 1606 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 10:08 am - IP Logged | |
I can't believe he it fighting this. Once you through something in the garbage it becomes public property. Anyone can take it. And yeah right like he really knew it was a winner and accidently threw it in the garbage. If I was scratching and won a million dollars I don't think I would finish scratching and there is no way I would let the ticket out of my sight. He found the ticket and as long as his name is on the back where it says to sign, the old guy is the rightful owner and nothing more can be said. Brad | | |
Glen Burnie, MD United States Member #429 June 27, 2002 206 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 10:12 am - IP Logged | |
Finders keepers - losers... STUPID! MrMST Good luck and have a Disney Day ºoº | | |
Atlanta, GA United States Member #1288 March 13, 2003 3316 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 10:14 am - IP Logged | |
Guy's spending a lot of money on lottery tickets. And lawyer, most likely. (Ironic coincidence, the Blackstone thing). I don't know how the law works on such matters, but if it came to a jury deciding I'd like to think the jury members would take the approach that when you throw something away it ceases to be your property. If a dumpster-diver's lucky enough to find it, it's his. This guy can only guess the ticket was his unless he has play slips lying about, which could have been done after the draw. Here's hoping the dumpster diver gets to keep his stroke of good fortune. Jack  I also hope that some really good attorney will represent the dumpster diver ticket holder pro bono for the case and all appeals filed.  Good luck to everyone!
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C. C. Texas United States Member #17712 June 18, 2005 34 Posts Offline | | Posted: October 18, 2005, 11:09 am - IP Logged | |
I'm a 62 year old man and i pick up scratch tickets all the time and some times from the trash. I have collected $10.00 doing this. I have also mailed tickets in for a second chance drawing, but i did not win.
Does this mean i have to give up my $10.00
Naaaaa!!, don't think so.
If one of those tickets were worth $1 million it would NOT get lost.
That guy did NOT know he had a Million dollar ticket. | | |
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