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........

Ronnie316

Quote: Originally posted by noise-gate on Dec 24, 2012

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

Right, when a mistake goes in the favor of a player its because he was standing there spending money on tickets, not because the clerk made a blunder and is incompetent.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

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.

I always figgered they should consider it a tip when I don't knock their dadgum head off for screwin' up my order.

Ronnie316

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 not go ahead a give your state 25% in tax instead of whatever they charge on the state level, because it was the state who made the machine so that a QP button could be pushed by the hap hazard clerk.

What?

Ronnie316

Quote: Originally posted by Brcebrce on Dec 24, 2012

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.

What if luck is not so dumb, and did it on purpose?????

Ronnie316

Quote: Originally posted by Nicki-C22 on Dec 24, 2012

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

Sack the clown.......

Ronnie316

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

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

Right on Bro. You got the right idea, the clerks don't have a job where tips are part of their pay. They dont even care about their jobs and that's why they made the mistake in the first place.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Always remember this.

You should all know it by now.

It's taken directly from Rules For Ridgicals:

"If the ticket's a mistake, it's a ticket you must take."™

Ronnie316

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Dec 24, 2012

Always remember this.

You should all know it by now.

It's taken directly from Rules For Ridgicals:

"If the ticket's a mistake, it's a ticket you must take."™

I Agree!

Ronnie316

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by Ronnie316 on Dec 24, 2012

I Agree!

Dadgum straight.

faber98

Quote: Originally posted by Ronnie316 on Dec 24, 2012

Right, when a mistake goes in the favor of a player its because he was standing there spending money on tickets, not because the clerk made a blunder and is incompetent.

but you can always have the clerk void or cancel the ticket if he makes a mistake. many people take the ticket knowingly that a mistake was made obviously hoping for a change of fortune in their direction. i still maintain when playing a quick pic (only) it is totally up to "when" the clerk decides whether consciously or unconsciously to press that quick pic button. if by some miracle he presses it at precisely the right time giving you a winning ticket the clerk deserves all the credit (thus the more than nominal tip). the poor clerk has so many different people requesting all kinds of different games and in many different languages they are bound to screw it up now and then. as i said you can always cancel or void the ticket right there. if you fill out slips he deserves only his pay because he absolutely had nothing to do with your winning combination. a quick pic is an entirely different situation which he has 100% control and responsibility to your set of numbers.

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Congratulations to the winners.....

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Dec 24, 2012

Always remember this.

You should all know it by now.

It's taken directly from Rules For Ridgicals:

"If the ticket's a mistake, it's a ticket you must take."™

Thumbs Up

Ronnie316

Quote: Originally posted by faber98 on Dec 24, 2012

but you can always have the clerk void or cancel the ticket if he makes a mistake. many people take the ticket knowingly that a mistake was made obviously hoping for a change of fortune in their direction. i still maintain when playing a quick pic (only) it is totally up to "when" the clerk decides whether consciously or unconsciously to press that quick pic button. if by some miracle he presses it at precisely the right time giving you a winning ticket the clerk deserves all the credit (thus the more than nominal tip). the poor clerk has so many different people requesting all kinds of different games and in many different languages they are bound to screw it up now and then. as i said you can always cancel or void the ticket right there. if you fill out slips he deserves only his pay because he absolutely had nothing to do with your winning combination. a quick pic is an entirely different situation which he has 100% control and responsibility to your set of numbers.

Wrong again. Any wise lottery players knows that "mistakes" are part of playing the game and anytime a player is fortunate enough to get a "mistake" ticket it was meant to be the the clerk is 0% responsible.

faber98

Quote: Originally posted by Ronnie316 on Dec 24, 2012

Right on Bro. You got the right idea, the clerks don't have a job where tips are part of their pay. They dont even care about their jobs and that's why they made the mistake in the first place.

ronnie do you really think every clerk in the store (or the majority)do not care about their jobs and that is why they make the mistakes. i've stood behind people who aren't very lottery savvy and heard them ask the clerk for a ticket for tonights game. they might be wanting to play powerball and are asking for it on a day other than wed or sat. they don't have a clue. the poor clerk gives them a ticket for tonites game like they requested. customer sometimes checks and sometimes just stuffs in their pocket. who's mistake is that when the customer doesn't have a clue as to what game their playing or what day it is. it happens in every store every day especially when the jackpots are high. if the clerk tries to explain it that powerball is tomorrow the befuddled customer gets even more confused thus delaying the clerks finger resulting in a different set of numbers which may or may not work out.

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