By Todd Northrop
If there was ever an example of why people should double-check their own lottery tickets, this is it.
Over the weekend, the Connecticut Lottery's mobile app told people with winning lottery tickets that they lost. Hopefully there were not too many winning lottery tickets thrown in the trash, but one must imagine there were some.
The lottery said Monday afternoon that its mobile app "Scan Tickets" feature "operated incorrectly" at 12:25 p.m. Saturday through 10:34 a.m. Monday for drawing tickets only.
"Some winning draw tickets scanned incorrectly as 'non-winning' tickets," it said.
The lottery's app contains a feature that lets players scan the barcode on their lottery ticket, and the app then checks with the central computer system to see if the ticket is a winner.
The lottery tickets misidentified as losers during the period of time included games such as Lotto, Play 3, Play 4 and Lucky Links bought through electronic terminals at lottery retailers.
Instant ticket scanning during that time period was not affected, the lottery said in a post on its web site.
Although the lottery claims the app is now "fully operational," it advises people who scanned draw tickets during that time to "please check your tickets again."
The lottery did not say how many winning lottery tickets were affected.
Lottery players can also check Connecticut Lottery tickets at any lottery retailer in the state, using the store's automated ticket checker. Lottery retailers can be found throughout Connecticut (or anywhere in North America) using the Lottery Places app, available for iOS, Android, and Windows.
Always check more then one source and keep your losers til the end of the year...or longer !
And the Pick4 Saturday night was 3133! When that number hit in FL recently (on a Tuesday evening) the payout was pushing $800,000. Can't imagine what it would have been on a Saturday when people are spending more money. I'm sure CT pocketed more than a few bucks on that little glitch!
How hard is it for people to check the numbers themselves? Are they dumb or stupid?
How convenient .....
You forgot lazy. But to answer your questions. Not hard at all. Both.
I always keep my losing tickets lined up in a shoe box by date. I check them myself, then scan them at the store. Those puppies are
D-E-A-D by the time they reach that shoebox.
.
Speaking for myself, I think I would fall into the dumb category,
because I have done some really, really dumb things in my time.
I have been told on more than one occasion:
That was a really foolish thing you did. (not sure which category, dumb or stupid)
Other times, I've been confronted to the effect of:
"Are you and idiot or something - imagine that?" (again, which category?)
With all the tricks and gimmicks that that lotteries try to pull off, I sincerely believe that this was NOT an error in the card reader. This is why anyone that plays those electronically generated lotteries (such as "Fast Play" here in NJ) is just throwing their money away with NO chance to win. At least if you play the physically draw games you have some kind of chance.
They know if any substantial winners were sold. Their error so it should be up to the CT lottery to announce where and when they were sold and put some effort into finding the winners.
I'm neither Dumb or Stupid....
I have done some dumb or stupid things In my Life, I've never considered myself Perfect nobody Is anyone claiming to be IS Dumb & Stupid!
Apparently MILLIONSWANTED CONSIDER THEMSELVES COMPLETELY PERFECT, If that were the case they would have plenty of money and not be trying to WIN the Lottery and calling people DUMB or STUPID!
PA Fast Play (NJ is likely similar) is basically an electronic instant ticket. It appears, at least in PA, Fast Play tickets are divided into blocks (akin to packs) of 1,000. When one buys a Fast Play ticket, the order of winners and losers has already been determined, just like playing instant tickets. The difference is the print on demand part, and that others elsewhere can buy from the same block; one may be able to game that a little during slow sales periods (ie. late at night).
Rambling on, but point is Fast Play tickets often have the prizes seeded ahead of time in sequence just like regular instants. So one can certainly win the lower tier Fast Play prizes just the same. As for the top prizes, yep, they could rig that part, if they chose to, by holding back some blocks (virtual packs) and/or pulling the game early just like they can do with regular instants.
With all that said, physical draw games allow the player to more solely determine their fate.
As for ticket checkers, from what I recall, several years ago, PA Lottery experienced problems with some winning 5X $1 instant tickets being identified as losers. So this has happened before, and, sadly, likely will again. As many regular players already do, keep your losing tickets for at least a few months. Even if the numbers ticket is clearly a loser, there have been instances in which a second drawing was later held due to some technical glitch resulting in 2 sets of winning numbers.
That's a needlessly harsh statement. They DID check the numbers themselves. They checked them using the computer app developed and distributed by the state. Right on their own smartphones. They are neither dumb nor stupid. Did you bother to read the article? Or did you just miss the part about using their smartphone app to check their own tickets?
Don't trust the app? to decide if you are a winner,
Check it the old fashion way every time! And then double check it to make sure.
It's that easy.