Lottery ticket plucked from trash wins $100,000

Feb 17, 2005, 8:35 am (40 comments)

Indiana Lottery

Finders keepers.

That's the word from the Hoosier Lottery after a winning ticket worth $100,000 purchased in Shelbyville was tossed in the trash, then plucked out by a luckier person.

"If I drop $100,000 in the street and walk away and the next person picks it up, it's their money," Ellen Corcella, the lottery's security director, said Wednesday.

The lottery paid the winnings, minus taxes, to Kerry Jeremiah, a Shelbyville woman who took the "Hold 'em Poker" ticket to the lottery's Downtown Indianapolis headquarters Feb. 10.

Jeremiah's luck is someone else's big loss. Two other people shelled out $5 for the winning scratch-off ticket Feb. 8 at the Chaperrel Café.

They asked a store clerk to check whether they had a $40 winner, Corcella said -- which they didn't. The clerk didn't check for any other amounts, the security director said.

Told the ticket wasn't a winner, the buyers pitched it in a store wastebasket.

That's where Jeremiah spotted the ticket and asked for it, saying she would use it to enter the lottery's second-chance consolation prize, Corcella said.

"They handed it to her and said, with their blessings, take it," said Corcella.

No one had appealed the lottery's decision as of Wednesday. The café's owner, Shirley Bailey, declined comment.

Indianapolis Star

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tg636

>Told the ticket wasn't a winner, the buyers pitched it in a store wastebasket.

This is different than looking at the ticket yourself and deciding it's not a winner.

>"If I drop $100,000 in the street and walk away and the next person picks it up, it's their money," Ellen Corcella, the lottery's security director, said Wednesday.

But if I toss that $100,000 because the person working the lottery machine tells me it's not a winner and is worthless, that's not dropping $100,000 in the street. That's making a real effort to ask someone representing the lottery if it's a winner and not getting the correct answer.

Todd's avatarTodd

Shame on the ticket-buyer for not checking their own ticket, and shame on the store clerk who should know how to examine the ticket.

onenumber's avataronenumber

I'm with you Todd, if someone spends $5 on a ticket they should know how to read it to determine if they are a winner or not.  I've been in the store when someone ahead of me buys instant tickets and will scratch off the numbers at the bottom and tell the clerk to check to see if it's a winner.  They can't even take the time to scratch it off and look for themselves.  That's ridiculous!

RJOh's avatarRJOh
Quote: Originally posted by tg636 on February 17, 2005



But if I toss that $100,000 because the person working the lottery machine tells me it's not a winner and is worthless, that's not dropping $100,000 in the street. That's making a real effort to ask someone representing the lottery if it's a winner and not getting the correct answer.






When you speak with a clerk working in the place where you buy your lottery tickets, you're not speaking to someone representing the lottery.  In some cases, you're not speaking to someone who even understand the games.  I'm surprised the winner would even mention finding the ticket in the trash, since there have been similar cases where a person had to share their winnings with someone claiming to be the original purchaser of the ticket.

RJOh

Todd's avatarTodd
Quote: Originally posted by RJOh on February 17, 2005



Quote: Originally posted by tg636 on February 17, 2005



But if I toss that $100,000 because the person working the lottery machine tells me it's not a winner and is worthless, that's not dropping $100,000 in the street. That's making a real effort to ask someone representing the lottery if it's a winner and not getting the correct answer.






When you speak with a clerk working in the place where you buy your lottery tickets, you're not speaking to someone representing the lottery.





Well, I don't agree with that one.  I know in NJ, becoming a lottery retailer is a big deal, and requires that the store clerks understand all about it.  Any store selling lottery tickets is considered an agent of the lottery, as they are officially licensed.  Clerks are supposed to attend training as well.

There is no excuse for a clerk to pass judgement on a ticket if they don't know how to play.  If they aren't sure, they should tell the customer, and they should seek help from another employee who does know how to play.

whodeani's avatarwhodeani

Whoever bought that ticket got what he or she deserved. For the life of me I will never understand why somebody would spend money on a ticket and not bother to check the ticket. Wouldn't it be worth the time to scratch the ticket and check to see if it is a winner for a $100,000? It is good this person didn't end up with that money because his/her own actions tell me this person didn't care if he/she had the money or not in which case winning the money isn't deserved.

fja's avatarfja

technically the store clerk was right it was not a $40 winner, thats what they asked him to check for,,,,,they obivously did not look at the ticket correctly or did not read the instructions.....and didn't the store have one of those scanning machines.....or doesnt that work for scratch offs....

I don't play them

Todd's avatarTodd
Quote: Originally posted by fja on February 17, 2005



technically the store clerk was right it was not a $40 winner, thats what they asked him to check for,,,,,they obivously did not look at the ticket correctly or did not read the instructions.....and didn't the store have one of those scanning machines.....or doesnt that work for scratch offs....

I don't play them




What the clerk SHOULD have done is to scan the ticket, type in the little code that appears on it, and the machine would indicate if it's a winner.
winner2b

What the clerk SHOULD have done is to scan the ticket, type in the little code that appears on it, and the machine would indicate if it's a winner.

JimmySand9
Quote: Originally posted by Todd on February 17, 2005

Shame on the ticket-buyer for not checking their own ticket, and shame on the store clerk who should know how to examine the ticket.






tg636

>"If I drop $100,000 in the street and walk away and the next person picks it up, it's their money," Ellen Corcella, the lottery's security director, said Wednesday.

Saying this is disingenuous at best, or a complete lie to distort the situation. If the person had their ticket read correctly and then got a check for $100,000, then cashed that check, then had $100,000 cash, then dropped that money in the street where it was found by someone else who took it never to return it, then what she says would be true.  That's not the case. The person did not drop $100,000 in the street. The person was told the ticket was not a winner by the clerk working the lottery machine, and then put it in the trash as most people do with losing tickets. It's one thing to throw out a winner without checking like the couple in MA allegedly did - it's another to think you've won and then have a lousy lottery clerk screw you over. 

Yes, it would be good to be suspicious of dumb people working lottery machines, and save a ticket you have a question about and be aware enough that you have a winner even if the lottery clerk says you don't.  But no one deserves to lose a prize like that because of a lousy clerk.

However, the next time I find a bag of money or anything of value in the street I will take it with a clear conscience thanks to Ellen Corcella. 

four4me

I worked with a guy that won 500,000 on a scratcher. he had taken his wife and family to dinner there were 4 adults  and 2 children. his wife asked him to buy this ten dollar scratcher. The place where he bought the ticket for her was more of a restaurant than a bar and selling lottery tickets was a side line affair. So she scratches the ticket and they have uncovered 500.000 on the ticket three times. She doesn't know if it's a winner or not she hands it to him he looks at it and see's the three 500,000 windows also. and can't decide if it's a winner or not then he hands the ticket to the other couple who also look at the ticket and see the three 500,000 windows.  These people are all college educated hold high profile jobs. On the ticket it clearly says match three like amounts win that prize. They hand the ticket to the waitress and ask her to check it she leaves and returns shortly telling them the have a winner. No way they exclaim cant be the waitress says sure it is take it to the lottery and they will verify it.

Some people educated or not have trouble realizing that they have won something so easy from just spending a few bucks they can't believe their eyes or become dumbfounded when faced with having won an extreme amount of money.

If it were me that scratched the ticket i would have quietly finished eating and ran all the way home to stash the ticket and celebrate.  

tg636

Just think of the winning tickets thrown away that aren't found. I don't buy scratch tickets anymore, but I like to grab a few from the trash and look them over. Almost as much chance of winning as buying them and a lot cheaper, I like to say.  I've found a few winners in the $1 -15 range, so I know people do toss out winning tickets.  

DoctorEw220's avatarDoctorEw220

to make things worse, it's the Hoosier Lottery that tricked the buyer out of $100,000. if i were the guy, i would beat the crap out of the clerk. then, i would go to their boss, and demand their firing.

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