Includes video report
STAMFORD, Conn. — Someone in Connecticut bought a lottery ticket worth $254 million — but, so far, nobody knows who it is.
Powerball officials say someone in Fairfield County bought a Powerball ticket matching all six winning numbers — 12, 14, 34, 39, 46, and 36. Local rumor has it that the ticket was sold at Belltown Superette in Stamford, a store with a reputation for selling winning tickets.
"My grandfather right here, number 29. He played my aunt's ... that's my aunt's birthday. He won $1 million," Alexis Nanos told ABC News affiliate WTNH-TV in New Haven.
Now there's a rather strange new twist in the case of the winning Powerball Lottery ticket. The owner of a convenience store says a man came in claiming to have bought the winning numbers.
There's just one problem and it's a big problem — he says lost the ticket.
The man says he bought the ticket at Belltown Superette in Stamford.
"He said it's his number, but he can't find the ticket lost ticket, so I don't know what to say. (How upset was he?) A little upset," said Suni Patel, the owner of the store.
She says that the man works for the Stamford Sanitation Department. He claims he bought the ticket and has the winning numbers, but he just doesn't have the ticket.
Whether it's true or not the lottery business is suddenly booming for Ms. Patel and her husband's store.
As for the mystery millionaire 254 times over, Suni is optimistic. She has to be — she would get a commission.
"I hope he can find it, believe me," Patel said.
If the guy who says he lost the winning ticket actually bought the winning ticket, he has six months to file a claim, but he's got to prove he bought it.
Oh mr. patel is up to his usual shenanigans again. anything to boost business.
Hummm, you would think people would apply more care to their tickets, especially one of this worth. We all make mistakes, have bad days, but this is a real "blooper".
I wish he could find it soon.Otherwise he could find it difficult to leave with himself!,he should find it under the sofa,in the drawer and under the wardrobe! Good Luck to him I feel sorry for him.
I wonder if he remembered to sign the back of it before he "lost" it.
Am I alowed to call him a dumba$$ ?
Time will tell if he did or not ----mmmmmmmmm?????
"A little upset," said Suni Patel, the owner of the store."
Every time I read a story of something strange about a lottery ticket the name Patel is in the article. Has the Patel family taken over the U.S. convenient store business or is this another weird coincidence?
Personally, I think the ticket loser and Mr. Patel have been sniffing to much cow gas...!
Now that they've gotten their "15" minutes of fame, Whats next ?.
I certainly wouldn't be broadcasting that I lost my ticket. Now it is "Hunt On!" That is... if this person is the true ticket holder and not a copycat of the lady in Ohio several years back who tried to claim that she lost her ticket. (back in Dec 2003)
"An Ohio woman who claims to have lost the winning ticket in last month's $162 million Mega Millions lottery was convicted of misusing a credit card while working at a Cleveland-area drugstore five years ago, court records show.
Elecia Battle has asked a Cuyahoga County judge to stop Ohio lottery officials from paying Rebecca Jemison, the declared winner of the multi-state drawing on December 30.
Battle says she lost her winning lottery ticket when she dropped her purse outside the store in the Cleveland suburb of South Euclid."
Chaos, excellent point, probably not..
"proving that he bought the ticket" is way different then actually having the printed ticket. It was my understanding that you had to have the actual ticket, have it validated and then it would be decided if its a legitimate ticket. That is not the same as proving he bought it.
ANyone can BUY a ticket for someone else...
Does MUSL rules have this regulation for all states---No ticket No win.
ooo boy Ridge will have something good for this one .
and this what you have to do when you see a PATEL is involved with lotterys .
People claiming they bought a winning ticket seems to be a commonplace event. Some of them probably really believe it, and some of them are probably just hoping that it won't be claimed by somebody else and they'll manage a story that's convincing enough.
If the guy said they "were his numbers" that might mean he plays those numbers regularly. If that's true he may have tickets from previous drawings with those numbers, and having them will be very good evidence, especially if they were bought at the store that sold the winner. If he doesn't have old tickets he still may be able to tell where and when he has played those numbers before and may have a credit card receipt that coincides with the time and place of a purchase.
As for the specific rules on claiming prizes, I expect it's up to the state to decide. In NY you need to pay a fee to try and claim without a ticket. IIRC it's $100, or perhaps $150. That should eliminate most of the frivoulous claims, and cover the cost of a preliminary investigation that will weed out most false claims quickly.
Namegirl, your right, at least here in New York state, you have to have the ticket..
I thought it was a Qp that won...I'll have to check on that.
As to someone using past tickets as proof of play...that seems shady at best. I wouldnt grant someone 254 million simply because they showed me that in the "past" history of plays they happened to play that set....Its the actual date and actual ticket that needs to be produced...end of story. ( except we have six months to find out if it even gets claimed.)
I cringe when I see the "Patel" name...is that like the name Smith or Jones in America?
Here in New York, they can tell exactly where the ticket was bought. TIm sure most states can detect that.
I, too, have a hard time understanding why people buy tickets, then not treat them with care (or even bother to check them).
If the ticket truly is lost and no one claims it, does the full prize amount go to the State of Connecticut?
I'd like to see unclaimed prizes rolled into a "special drawing" once or twice a year, rather than be totally forfeited to the "winning" State.
If this guy's legit, he'll hire an attorney who will try to get CTL to review his evidence (the store tape, time of purchase, etc) and declare him the winner - - - but that's not gonna happen.
Most states consider lottery tickets bearer instruments which means as long as that ticket is out there - anyone who finds it can sign the back, turn it in, and rightfully collect the money. There's no way CTL is gonna give him the money without that ticket!!!
TNFirecracker, I believe the money goes right back to the lottery itself. You have a great idea about a "special drawing" once or twice a year.
This guy is the true definition of a krotchwaffle...GradeA at that.
I never did get how careless alot of people get with tickets in general.I've known many to stash them on the side of the console in their car only to have them end up under the seat and long forgotten.Why even play if you have that much disregard for a potential winning ticket.
krotchwaffle, LOL,, Yes, an expired "pop tart"....
*sniffs*
What kind of idiot lose a $245 million dollar ticket!
I had to say something, I don't think he had the ticket. If he played the tickets he would have the bet slip with the numbers on it. BTW you are suppose to sign your tickets. I don't know, but I don't believe him.
if he really bought the ticket and lost it or misplaced then you are in a big problem,better go home and look very carefully you got 6 months to find it , or else say goodbye to 254million dollars
There was a story posted here some time back where a guy tried to sign his ticket using his computer printer and the ticket was mutilated in the printer.
According to the story, the Lottery Commission was able to read the information on the mutilated ticket and what the average lottery player does not realize is the Lottery Commission can even track the roll of paper the winning ticket was printed on, what store was in possession of the roll of paper, the exact time (down to the second) and date of the winning sale, what lottery combination was printed before and after the winning ticket was purchased, etc.........
So, if there is any untruths happening here, the Lottery Commission will know.
People are very careless.
Careless with lottery tickets.
Careless with money.
Careless with children.
Careless with keys.
Careless-careless-careless.
Why, IMO, because the carelessness was reinforced over a period of time by the people in their lives. Now, it is part of their genetic makeup and the carelessness is handed down from generation to generation until someone breaks the cycle.
Here in TX, the lottery tickets are printed on thermal paper.
Ask yourself how many lottery players in TX have lost out on cashing in a winning ticket because their ticket was destroyed from heat exposure.
I am no exception to being careless. There are many times I have misplaced tickets. Why, because I broke routine. So now the rule of the house is, "No tickets are to be scratched until we are in our home. All winning tickets go in drawer #1 and all losing tickets go in drawer #5. The losing tickets are to be checked and rechecked for a 6 mos. period, just in case a ticket was misread."
After reading this story I am implementing a new rule in my house.
Whenever any lottery tickets are purchased, we are to get a printed receipt with the ticket serial numbers on it.
If the store refuses then we will no longer purchase tickets there, unless we use the self service machine.
That way if we ever find ourselves in this position, we would at least have undeniable proof of our purchase.
It all depends on whether he filled out a betslip or bought a block of numbers with quick picks. I can't recall if the winner was a quick pick or self-selected.
If he indeed filled out a slip that has the numbers he played, he may be able to prove his case. Of course he would have to have more than one set of numbers on that slip. Then again the ticket is a bearer instrument. But being able to show that he purchased several picks on one ticket may give him a better chance. The lottery could always look that up. If he has this I would take the chance of hiring a lawyer.
I do echo what others have said. Who would be so careless to lose a $254 million ticket?
Absolutely tickets can be destroyed by heat. Last year I left my wallet in my pants when I washed them. Rather then dry all my papers under a lamp for several hours I decided to dry them in the microwave.
Well, that worked fine for everything including money, except for the pick 3 ticket which partially burned up. I went back to the store with my still wet wallet and told them what happened.
Fortunately, they were able to read the serial number and typed it into the computer and were able to cash it for the $80 even though I could not clearly make out the played number.
I have also lost an an $80 box winner. I was never completely sure if I lost it at home, or left it at the store with my tickets on the counter, or if I just forgot to take them with me while I was cashing a winner. I could not imagine losing a jackpot winner.
If he has a playslip with the other numbers on it, and the other tickets he bought showing the sequence, and the stores video showing him buying the tickets, he may have a chance. The tickets have the date, time and machine number that printed the ticket on the front. All tickets also have a number on the back showing the sequence on the roll of paper. If someone else cashes it, that would prove he lost it.
However, the other person who finds it could claim that it is a bearer instrument, so basically it would be finders keepers. This is assuming some one else finds it. Unless he signed the back of it before he lost it. For his sake I hope he finds it.
some of them have other jobs.
there's a lot of them at the hotel i work at.
and my postal carrier is named patel.
to bad so sad, i have no lost feelings for people who claim or really did a lose a ticket
these people are dumb, just plain and simple
i have allmy tickets form past year, in 1 room, why, if i win anything, i can take losers,and write them off, as i have "proof" of losers. to many people buy lottery tickets and "lose" them
i just wish a unclaimed jackpot prize pool that goes unclaimed , would atfer 1 year or whatever deline is for each state, would then Be put back itno next full drawing
as we players builded the jackpot with out cash, we deserve a winner, and not lottery claiming winner money for them selfs cease a idiot won.............
Sorry to hear that this guy lost his ticket!!! But what i want to no is WHY when the powerball and the mega million get up to a big pot WHY do georgia take it out of the state i mean give georgia a chance WE play to JUST WANT TO NO WHY.
"My grandfather right here, number 29. He played my aunt's ... that's my aunt's birthday. He won $1 million," Alexis Nanos told ABC News affiliate WTNH-TV
The owner of a convenience store says a man came in claiming to have bought the winning numbers.
Noticed neither claim was made where it counts at the lottery commission office.
In my case, I buy tickets just about every day and am normally very well organized. It happened. Oh, well. My mess up.
If you do save your losing tickets, you may need more than just the losing tickets to offset taxes. Anyone can collect losing tickets from friends, co- workers etc. You need to keep a detailed record of what you spent, when you spent it, where you spent it, and having receipts would better yet. The I.R.S. wants receipts for every thing else, why would gambling loses be any different?
Any sensible person who had such a misplacement wouldn't immediately announce it.
This guy hasn't lost anything other than his meds.
He'll figure it out, once everyone he knows and plenty of unsavory people that he doesn't know show up at his home to "help" with a search.
Meanwhile, the real winner and the rest of us can have a chuckle.
It's gonna be real interesting when someone does show up with that ticket.
personally, i can't see an adult or anyone for that matter, going to a store purchasing a ticket with hopes of winning not protecting the ticket. come one the purpose of playing the game is to win...or am i missing something
I am here in nc and everytime i buy a lottery ticket in many stores, i buy it from a Patel. There is something to the madness.
The U.S. Government...
This CT case is just bizarre. In thes times of economic hardship, people can be so desperate that they become dilusional.
I hope the guy who claims he lost his ticket is not setting himself up to sue the real ticket owner. I hope the real ticket buyer
bought his ticket in a store that has cameras. If he did then the barcode info on the ticket would tell the date and time the
ticket was bought and the camera would confirm the identity.
i thought all the stores have cameras.
if not required they should be.
Do a google search for Patel. Interesting.