well it has to SUCK to be that guy... I would be so annoyed.

But at the same time I agree with what you guys are saying. Firstly if it WAS a QP, then there's no way he could prove that he actually would've got those same numbers if the ticket did print 7 seconds earlier. Secondly it is his own fault for getting the ticket at the last minute. That's why they have cut-off times, so you know when to get it before! 

I do feel for him though, the worst part would be thinking you'd won, then realising you missed out!

Amanda

Wow! What a tear jerker!  Very sad for the poor guy!

We're not on the side of the lottery, we're on the side of common sense and responsibility. The machine gave him his ticket exactly on time. The problem is that he got to the game too late. That's not the lottery's problem.  If there was a 5 minute gap, he wouldn't have gotten either  ticket. Not having a break as they move from one game to the next gives the last minute players a chance that they wouldn't have had otherwise.

"The consumer is not responsible for the delays relating to theprinting of the ticket," he said. "He [Mr. Ifergan] acquired the ticketprior to the 9 p.m. deadline. It's just crazy."

He may have asked for the ticket before 9, but he acquired the ticket after 9. The consumer may not be responsible for the delay, but neither is the lottery, and the delay is in processing the request, not printing the ticket. It takes a few seconds to process the request and log it in the database. That's just a fact of life. If he doesn't like it he should buy his tickets earlier.

I agree with 100% Mysteryman424!  If we here @ LP can figure out a simple way to make the system work to avoid these types of issues then the Lottery should be forced to pay him for THERE failure to have a proper cut-off set up.  Should be interesting to see what the court says.

Not having a break as they move from one game to the next gives the last minute players a chance that they wouldn't have had otherwise.

A break in the system would not give the last minute players any extra chance, it would force the early players for the next game to wait 5 minutes.

Current: Sales end 8:59:59, next sales begin at 9:00:00.

With Break: Sales end at 8:59:59, next sales begin at 9:05:00.

This would cause any ticket entered at 9:00:00-9:04:59 to throw an error and alert the player the sales are closed, instead of printing out a ticket for the next draw and letting the player assume he purchased the ticket for the draw which he intended to.

I know I've purchased a few tickets right at the deadline, because there were reasons out of my hands that kept me from getting to the convinient store earlier.  I can sympathize with this guy.  I doubt anyone here would do anything differently than he is doing right now either.  Letting $13,500,000 go is much easier said than done.

I did a similar thing last year playing MM when the jackpot was high. The cut-off time was 10:45 PM and handed the clerk at a drive-thru ten play slips with 46 combinations around 10:40. When I looked at the tickets, 6 of them were for that nights drawing and the other 4 were for the next drawing. I had played all 46 bonus numbers and got lucky when the number drawn that night was among the 30 combos I had for that nights drawing and none of the other 16 combos would have won.

Whether it's asking for QPs or handing the clerk play slips, we are asking for tickets in the next drawing and the cut-off time is determined by the lottery terminal not by my watch, cell phone or the clock on the wall. I would have been sick if the winning numbers were for the wrong drawing but the fault would be mine for waiting too long.

Here in Ontario there is a 10 minute draw shut down from 9 PM to 9:10 PM, I am surprised that Loto-Quebec does not have this since Super 7 is a national game.  The rules set out by ILC should be the same in each lottery jurisdiction.  Interesting.   

"Current: Sales end 8:59:59, next sales begin at 9:00:00.

With Break: Sales end at 8:59:59, next sales begin at 9:05:00."

That may be a possibility, but it's just as likely that sales would stop 5 minutes sooner. Any way they do it some players will complain. Cry me a river, but it's the players' fault if they can't buy their tickets at a time that let's them get what they want.

If this case makes it to a jury, they're going to consider intent.  Was this guy trying to cheat the lottery getting a ticket in just after the draw, or was he simply trying to buy his tickets an hour before the draw and the system delay did him in. 

If I ever came that close, I can't see not taking the shot to collect. 

Of course the real winner will likely also have to file suit to collect the full amount of the prize if the court awards this guy half. 

I've been on both sides of this with ebay drawings, where I've gotten my bid in 30 seconds before the deadline and times when I've been outbid ten seconds before the deadline where dialup delay keeps me from getting one more bid in.  Not like you can sue ebay to make them give you that prized item.

BobP