It seems that with each passing error on thier part that the TN lottery folks just continue to get more brazen.  I hope that the upcoming investigation results in a shake-up there, and that they start giving  the consumers what they want and deserve!  Stop computerized drawings!

I don't think I would be upset about something like this. If someone wants to know how much the jackpot is, the majority of players will find out by from the TN lottery website, the official PowerBall website, an ad at the retailer, or a PowerBall commercial. Most people find out the jackpot by 1 of those 4 methods, and decide whether or not they want to buy a ticket as well as how many tickets they want to buy.

I'll bet the Tennessee Lottery wished you lived in their state, so at least one person would be OK with their shenanigans!  But then again, you live in Indiana, so you must be used to it!  LOL!

This comes under the heading of "DUH".

1)  The guy complaining said he NEVER BUYS a PowerBall ticket when the jackpot is only $15- Million.

2)  The $20 Million figure showed up PRINTED ON A TICKET HE BOUGHT!

3)  He wouldn't have SEEN a $20 Million figure if he hadn't bought a ticket.

So:  Since he came up with that $20-mil figure AFTER he bought a ticket, he knew very well WHAT the jackpot amount was BEFORE he bought the ticket.  At no time did he indicate that he had seen the higher figure POSTED!  (Posted being the operative word here.)

Just some idiot trying to ride the wave hoping to get his 15-minutes of fame.  And guess what.. He got it!

Pete

I don't think the drawing malfunction was negligible, but I do think this is. Some people are just more laid back than others. That's just how I am. I got a feeling if the drawing malfunction never happened, mistakes as small as this wouldn't be blown out of proportion. What happens is, once something that shows a lot of hostility happens, people start scrutinizing and using a tally counter.

That is completely false.

Here is the quote from the news story:

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.

(Emphasis added by me.) 

Let's stick to the facts here, eh?

It's false advertising.  You'd probably complain about getting only 12 beers in a 15-pack, no?  Seems to me when you're playing in a lottery worth millions, they should get it right.  Besides, it is the LOTTERY that claimed to be of high integrity, always doing the right thing for the players.  They remind us of that each time they post another error.

And again, the Tennessee legislature thinks this is a very important issue.  So I guess they're wrong also?

It's perfectly fine that you feel different. I was just expressing how I would feel if I was in the same situation. When I want to find out how much the PowerBall jackpot is, the 2 sources I find most reliable is either the PowerBall website or a PowerBall commercial. My next choice would be the state lottery website. There's also an in-store advertisement. The majority of people who buy lottery tickets do so based off a predetermined advertisement, such as the 1 of the 4 I just mentioned. They make they're decision right then whether or not they're going to play and how much they are going to play. That's just my opinion on the matter.

I AM sticking to the facts!

Todd quoted:

"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."

At NO TIME did Hawkins indicate that there was a jackpot of 20-million dollars POSTED IN THE LOTTERY SALES OUTLET.  He saw that figure ON HIS PLAY SLIP.

THOSE are the facts.  At no time, no place in this story did Mr. Hawkins state that there was any mis-leading information posted anywhere within the lottery outlet.

He never noticed a difference until AFTER he bought the tickets.  The guy 1) didn't look to see what the jackpot was before he bought the tickets;  2) Just slapped his money on the counter and said give me XYZ number of tickets.

I'm NOT defending the ticket mistake (15 vs 20) what I AM saying, is the guy didn't even bother to check the actual jackpot amount prior to purchasing the tickets so he really didn't have a beef!

When you go into a TN lottery sales outlet, there is an Electronic (there's that nasty word again) "billboard" that shows the amount of the Lotto 5 and the PowerBall for the up-coming draws.  It's at eye-level, in plain view.  If you can't see it, you need to re-train your seeing eye dog!  It is NOT programmed by the Lottery Outlet.

If nobody else complained, then everyone else in the state must have known they were playing for $15-million dollars, and were glad to do so.  I KNEW WHAT THE JACKPOT WAS BEFORE I BOUGHT MY TICKETS!

I stand by my statement.  The guy was trying to get his 15-minutes of fame, and he did. 

Pete