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May 16, 2007, 8:27 am (76 comments)
A Florida couple says they have a winning lottery ticket and they want their money, but the the Florida Lottery Commission isn't paying.
Ocala resident Joe Curcio thought he hit the jackpot on a scratch-off ticket that shows a prize of $500,000.
When he tried to claim his prize he received nothing at the lottery office.
Curcio said he bought a legitimate lottery ticket at the Turnpike rest area at Fort Drum.
The state said the ticket had a misprint on it.
Curcio and his family said it's not their fault the ticket has a misprint and that he should be paid what he's owed.
"A deal's a deal," Curcio said.
"I believe there's something wrong with the lottery," Annemarie Curcio said.
The lottery said it prints about 550 million tickets per year and there is the possibility of a misprint.
There are manual, computer and visual checks of tickets submitted for prizes, and the lottery said it uses various layers of security.
It also reminds people that the ticket is printed with a warning that all winnings are subject to verification.
Lottery Post Staff
Just my opinion here, but if I were to draw up a legal contract and it had a misprint on it, I would still be liable for that contract. I don't see any difference here. They should pay for their misprint mistakes and work harder to make sure there aren't anymore. That is, if in fact, it was their fault.
A mighty big disappointment: maybe they still have some recourse.
A Florida newspaper wrote:
Annemarie Curcio said they were robbed.
"My husband gave them a real $20 bill and they gave him a fake ticket," she said.
I agree with the above comments, and if the mistake isn't obvious, I think they should pay. However, there is a disclaimer stating the Lottery isn't responsible for misprints. Now this is where a boycott would really help!! We need gasoline, but everyone in FL could stop buying scratch tickets for a month and write letters protesting the decision. I read another article in that describes the so-called error, and I still can't figure it out. At least these people aren't poor (not that it should matter) but imagine if someone quit his $7 an hour job and drove to Tallahassee, only to discover his winning ticket isn't valid. So here's a lesson...wait until you have the money in your hand first!
I'd like to see a close-up of the ticket. Otherwise, it's difficult to make a judgment. I doubt if this couple would have made the trip to Tallahassee if it didn't look like a legitimate winner.
That's one of the reasons I don't like scratch-offs with large prizes. The state contrives what they think is a fair distribution of winners and where they should come from and if you don't buy your ticket there then you are a loser. Players have the illusion that every ticket could be a winner similar to the tickets of lotteries with drawings. The state probably never planned on anyone turning in a ticket bought at the Turnpike rest area.
Here is a video showing what they consider to be an error. Apparently they did match the numbers, but the 2 letters underneath did not match. Click on "watch video" to view. (don't know if dial-up will work)
http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=67738
What a riot! After the news video about this "mishap" there is an ad for a law office.
I have a question for people who buy scratch tickets. The numbers matched and it clearly shows that $500,000 was won. But underneath the first "1" there are 2 letters "th" which stand for thirteen. Is this supposed to be scratched off and removed by the player? If I paid $20 for a scratch ticket and it read "match 2 numbers and win the prize shows" and I matched 2 numbers and saw $500,000 under one of them, I would assume I won too.
I still think they should pay.
If I sound as if I was disagreeing with you, Spy, I wasn't. I only mentioned the disclaimer because it gives them an "out" if they find a problem with the ticket. If I drove to Tallahassee and was told I couldn't collect, I'd be on every local channel and screaming about it. It's interesting that they would prefer all this negative publicity instead of just paying. Obviously, they aren't worried about the effects of this article. BTW, I am almost certain this has happened in FL before. (I'm still wondering if, when you scratch the number, if the letters that represent it show, although most people wouldn't think about it. I might wonder why "th" was under the number "1" (or not!)
i think the florida lotto should pay them because the florida lotto made the misprint and mistake.
Why don't you just click the video link at the bottom of the post? It shows the video without all the ads.
The reason they put "one" underneath the number 1 and "th" underneath the number 13 is because people could either scratch off the 3 and make it a 1 or scratch off the 1 and make it a 3. I've seen people scratch so hard, the only way they can tell if it's a winner on not is to check the barcode.
I suppose those people could take it to court but it's obvious the barcode says it's not a winning ticket.
Duh?
You are right! Thanks for pointing that out Todd.
I would expect to be paid as well.
It will be interesting to see where this goes.......
The quote you're agreeing with is wrong. He paid with a real $20 bill and they gave him a real ticket. Like most tickets, it wasn't a winning ticket. Unlike most tickets, it happens to have been a defective ticket. Also unlike most tickets, he gets to trade his losing ticket for another ticket, or he can have his $20 back. When's the last time anyone here got a losing ticket replaced for free?