Cashier's mistake makes N.H. family lottery winners

Dec 24, 2012, 8:12 am (68 comments)

New Hampshire Lottery

HILLSBOROUGH, N.H. — A Hillsborough family is the newest New Hampshire Tri-State Megabucks winner, and it was all because of a mistake.

Hillsborough resident Scott Bennett wanted to buy tickets to two games on Wednesday, but the clerk made an error.

"He went up to the register and said he'd like a Lucky For Life ticket and a Tri-State Megabucks Plus ticket," said Maura McCann, New Hampshire Lottery director of marketing.

Bennett was buying the tickets at a Hillsborough Circle K.

"The clerk sold him two Tri-State Megabucks Plus tickets," McCann said. "He never got his Lucky For Life ticket."

What he got instead was the lucky winner of the $2.1 million Tri-State Megabucks jackpot. The Bennetts chose the one-time cash option of $1.3 million, which comes to a little under $1 million after taxes — just in time for Christmas.

"There might be a few extra presents under the tree," said his wife, Cathy Bennett.

Cathy Bennett and other members of the family collected the winnings Friday, but Scott Bennett wasn't there for the check presentation, because he was working.

They didn't know right away that they had won. Their son, Travis, left a note for his dad after learning that a winning ticket had been sold in town. Scott Bennett checked the numbers after he saw the note.

"I went downstairs, and he was sitting there with the ticket in one hand and the New Hampshire Lottery website on the computer, just staring at both of them," Cathy Bennett said. "We must have checked them about 15 times. We really truly didn't believe it."

The two waited a day to share the news over Chinese food in a family meeting.

"It's surreal," Cathy Bennett said. "It's unreal. It's very overwhelming. But I think once everything settles, we'll enjoy and take the time to enjoy it and decide what the future's going to hold."

The Bennetts bought an old Victorian house last year and said they can now renovate the kitchen, as well as pay of some hefty college loans for their children. Both said they plan to keep working because they enjoy their jobs.

Thanks to truesee for the tip.

WMUR

Comments

helpmewin's avatarhelpmewin

i Like when mistakes works in our favor, Congrats to them. Dance

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

These mistakes happen to me all the time and I never win anything. I always ask for powerplay on PB when I choose to do quickpick but somehow the store guys never include pp. I never protest, I just take the ticket and go my way.

Anyways I am happy for this NH guy. I play Tri States Megabucks too.

faber98

certainly supports the lazy lottery players approach to playing by asking for quick pics. i hope they tip the clerk who errored in their favor. he deserves at least 10k for his blunder. if you play quick pics and win you should tip the clerk because of the timing of his finger on the machine. if you fill out your own cards no tip required.

Brcebrce

Didn't someone win a megamillions jackpot this spring cause the clerk put it in instead of the powerball drawing? That's a doulble dose of dumb luck.

Nicki-C22's avatarNicki-C22

That's crazy. I'd break the cashier off something. A couple thousand or something.

Cletu$2's avatarCletu$2

Quote: Originally posted by faber98 on Dec 24, 2012

certainly supports the lazy lottery players approach to playing by asking for quick pics. i hope they tip the clerk who errored in their favor. he deserves at least 10k for his blunder. if you play quick pics and win you should tip the clerk because of the timing of his finger on the machine. if you fill out your own cards no tip required.

Why should you tip the clerk?He gets a paycheck for selling lottery tickets.

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

Congratulations, Bennetts on your, 'happy mistake', apx. $860K net lottery win!  Enjoy moving from the financial red into a comfortable half a million into the black ... may your nest egg get nurtured well into annual growth.

Group Hug

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Quote: Originally posted by Cletu$2 on Dec 24, 2012

Why should you tip the clerk?He gets a paycheck for selling lottery tickets.

I Agree! The retailers usually get a bonus for selling a jackpot winning ticket and can include a potion of that bonus in the clerk's paycheck if deserved.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

I know that on the back of play slips and on some signs in the stores say players should verify their tickets are correct before leaving but of all the misprints I've gotten, none has caused me to lose a chance at winning or caused me to win anything.

Scott Bennett got lucky, which is what he was hoping for buying quick picks. Wink 

faber98

Quote: Originally posted by Cletu$2 on Dec 24, 2012

Why should you tip the clerk?He gets a paycheck for selling lottery tickets.

i thought i explained it "clete". even the slightest hesitation by the clerks finger or his immediate response to your request for a quick pic determines your numbers as they are constantly being rotated through that machine. if he unwittingly presses that button at the right time for you and you win he deserves a tip. if you fill out your own cards he is merely performing a function that could be instituted at any time before the closing bell on the draw, thus no tip required.

faber98

Quote: Originally posted by RJOh on Dec 24, 2012

I Agree! The retailers usually get a bonus for selling a jackpot winning ticket and can include a potion of that bonus in the clerk's paycheck if deserved.

you shouldn't agree with that sw or se iowa corn grower because if a clerk sells you a quick pic he is the sole determiner of your numbers whether winning or losing. if by performing a dumb luck finger pressing on that machine and you win he deserves a big tip.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Quote: Originally posted by faber98 on Dec 24, 2012

you shouldn't agree with that sw or se iowa corn grower because if a clerk sells you a quick pic he is the sole determiner of your numbers whether winning or losing. if by performing a dumb luck finger pressing on that machine and you win he deserves a big tip.

That's your opinion and if you ever win, you'll get a chance to make your opinion count.  But for now the only opinion that counts is that of the winner and doubt if he's going be giving anybody $10K that not in his family.

noise-gate

Me too..This however is one mistake you can live with.
You got to love it when a screw up turns into gold.

Ronnie316

Quote: Originally posted by faber98 on Dec 24, 2012

i thought i explained it "clete". even the slightest hesitation by the clerks finger or his immediate response to your request for a quick pic determines your numbers as they are constantly being rotated through that machine. if he unwittingly presses that button at the right time for you and you win he deserves a tip. if you fill out your own cards he is merely performing a function that could be instituted at any time before the closing bell on the draw, thus no tip required.

The clerk made a error in processing the customers order fab, it should be reported as such to management and the cashier should be fired if unable to perform the duties of a cashier........

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