COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Education Lottery says players who thought they won $500 from a December 2017 game, will not receive their winnings.
Lottery officials announced in a press release Wednesday that anyone who purchased a Holiday Cash Add A Play ticket on December 25, 2017 between 5:51 p.m. until the close of the game at 7:53 p.m. that depicted nine tree symbols will receive a refund for the ticket. Those ticket holders will not receive the winnings because officials say the tickets were "erroneously produced."
"This decision is required by South Carolina Code Section 59-150-230(C)(3)(a) which provides that prizes arising from a ticket produced or issued in error must not be paid," the release states.
Before making the decision, lottery officials hired Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI) to conduct an independent, impartial analysis, which revealed coding errors by SCEL's former computer gaming vendor, and the vendor's inadequate quality assurance testing that would have discovered these errors before the tickets were distributed.
Approximately 71,000 winning tickets were printed in error, "which were incorrectly recognized as a $500 winning play."
To seek the refund of the purchase price of the tickets, a player should mail the original Holiday Cash Add-A-Play tickets (no copies or other reproductions will be processed for reimbursement) purchased on or after 5:51(17:51) p.m. on December 25, 2017 to this address:
S.C. Education Lottery
P.O. Box 11039
Columbia, SC 29211-1039
Include your name and return address. SCEL will refund the purchase price for each returned ticket and reimburse the player for postage up to the amount of first class USPS postage for the ticket(s) submitted to SCEL. Since these reimbursements will require manual processing, we ask that players mail in all tickets to avoid wait time at the Claim Center. Requests for Holiday Cash Add-A-Play refunds must be received by SCEL no later than January 7, 2019.
Well they have to follow the laws of that state and just refund the money. I'm sure many in South Carolina will be upset, but rules are rules.
Rules BD? When l was 15, l asked Lisa,a blind date,to come with me to a local party. Her Dad, on first meeting me, told me straight up: " Here are the RULES son, you are not to engage in any behavior that will bring " reproach on both our families"... l recall Lisa asking her Dad.... what's reproach?
Back to the topic: How convenient of the SC lottery.
Another example of why I do not buy scratchers.
Wait a second, something here stinks to high heaven.
Those ticket holders will not receive the winnings because officials say the tickets were "erroneously produced."
It is not the fault of the purchaser that tickets were erroneously produced. It is up to SC to eat the losses. What a CROCK.
Exactly what all the defendants said at the Nuremberg trials!
Die fahne hoch......
It would be far more important for the SC lottery to convince everyone that the tickets were 'erroneously' printed before quoting a law about non-payoffs.
I have been waiting on this for 6 months now. I do not play this game or any other computer printed games other than Powerball and Mega Millions simply because S.C has a clause written that they can change the prize amount you win { pick3,pick4 and cash5 } similar to the california's para mutal clause, Those that won several thousands of dollars are not happy but they knew that that machine was broken due to printing a 500.00 winner everytime so at least they might get some of their money back but I do forsee a law suit in the future but it will not be against South Carolina Lottery because they them selves did not run the machine.
South Carolina waited till 2 weeks after they completed changing Lottery vendors to make this announcement means that the vendor was not going to pony up their 3/4 share to pay the winners and the lottery would have used their insurance to cover their 1/4 share but no one was willing to pay except the lottery players.
71,000.00 dollars is easier to pay than the 35,500,00.00 they were on the hook for, remember the rules are their for lotteries benifit not the players just like in Cherokee at the casino if they dont want pay you the millions of dollars you won legally a computer malfunction accured and they are not required to pay based on the rules that you do not know existed on a machine thatt was working fine when it was taking your money.
I am located in the Upstate area of S.C and we rarely see big winners here but from Lexington County down to Horry County to Rock Hill to Hilton Head Island is where most of the big winners are on all the computer games and scratch ticketts but since Decemeber that has changed especially all the computer games and even more so now since the S.C Lottery will have to recoup the 71,000.00 in loss in intial revenue and those winners will have to prove thats their tickett so minus any state child support and medical withholdings 90% will end up with a bill and more unwanted debt collection phone calls and lets not forget that anything over 500.00 is minus Federal and State taxes.
South Carolina Lottery players will pay for this for a long time since S.C Lottery has not grasp that if the players winning big they will pay their child support and medical bills and buy houses, cars and pay more in Taxes and increase the economy but not Education only 7% goes to that.
Boy wouldn't it be great if EVERYONE went to the lottery headquarters with signs boycotting the lottery with the proof that they don't pay out to the holders of winning tickets, watch how fast they reverse the decision to not pay!
Yeah that won't be happening. Not sure if it would work even if it did actually occur. There are so many clauses in lotteries these days that protect the state and say F-U to the players. I only play Power Ball and MM solely for that reason.
Here in KY on pick 3 & pick 4 (as well as Cashball 225 different subject) they will only sell so many tickets on a certain set of #'s. Take for instance yesterday 6666 came in, 600 folks split $1.5 million. It doesn't tell you how many players were straight, straight box or any of the other 24 combinations. I'm sure it was way more than 600 players, they're not going to lose any money.
Correct me if I'm wrong KY Floyd, but I believe it called a liability limit??
It’s according to law the tickets not be paid. Intralot was the former company in hire with the state that produced the error. IGT has since been hired by the state to take over. Pragmatism wins the day. The thing is though to so many players is that for two hours or so, this glitch was exploited by a lucky few who were at the right place at the right time. And, tbh it isn’t fair to the ones that weren’t able to cash in. Especially if you consider the reasons that they play.
If memory serves me well, we were told that this was a Christmas day glitch. You " fix" a glitch by restoring confidence in the playing public by paying up. Saying " we sorry, and lets just move along folks"... is just not good enough.
1. For an extra $1 per play, the lottery terminal randomly generates an Add-A-Play ticket when you purchase one or more of these online games: Pick 3, Pick 4 or Palmetto Cash 5.
2. Add-A-Play play styles and winning symbols will change as new Add-A-Play games are introduced. Follow the directions printed on the Add-A-Play ticket to determine if the ticket is a winner.
3. Holiday Cash Add-A-Play prizes range from $2 up to $500. The top prize a player can win on one play is $500.
4. Players can elect to play up to five Add-A-Play games with the purchase of a Pick 3, Pick 4 or Palmetto Cash 5 ticket. Each $1 purchase is a "play." Up to five Add-A-Play plays will print on one online ticket.
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The computer glitch printed $500 winners for 71,000 tickets.
well, was my whitey tighties in poison ivy or play the SC lottery ??
Think I may have to avoid both situations