Store manager in sticky situation after retailer investigates legitimacy of ticket purchase
By Kate Northrop
DUBUQUE, Iowa — A store manager was fired from his job after a lottery retailer had found that he had bought a winning lottery ticket he knew was worth $100,000.
Aaron McVicker of Dubuque found himself caught in a messy situation after buying a $100,000 winning lottery ticket, which triggered an investigation into whether he violated store policies by playing the lottery on duty.
According to state records detailing a hearing dealing with McVicker's request for unemployment benefits, employees from Casey's General Store testified McVicker had contacted the company's human resources department to report that he and seven coworkers had won a $100,000 Powerball prize from a ticket bought at the store he managed on Asbury Road in Dubuque.
McVicker got in touch with HR manager Melissa Klenzman last November, who asked him a series of questions to determine whether the ticket purchase was made in accordance with store policies that limit an employee's ability to buy lottery tickets. McVicker originally told her that he was not working a shift when he bought the ticket, did not sell it to himself, and did not run the cash register or the lottery terminal to make the sale.
While he reported that he bought the ticket on the evening of Nov. 7, Klenzman later came to the conclusion that he had been working that day and was on duty during the timeframe he says purchased the ticket, despite not clocking in for work.
On a second phone call with McVicker, Klenzman allegedly found out that he would buy "mistake tickets" on occasion, which are tickets printed out for lottery players but are set aside, usually due to an error in the transaction.
According to the Iowa Lottery, a longstanding security requirement of multi-jurisdictional games like Powerball is that tickets cannot be cancelled. A retailer that prints a ticket in error can still sell the ticket, but if it is not sold in time for its respective drawing, the ticket remains the property of the business that generated it.
"There have been instances through the years where a retail location has claimed a prize from a ticket it owned after printing it in error," Iowa Lottery Vice President of External Relations Mary Neubauer told Iowa Capital Dispatch.
In two additional conversations between Klenzman and McVicker, McVicker had allegedly switched up his story, instead saying that he purchased the winning ticket a day later than what he had originally said. He also mentioned for the first time that the $100,000 winning Powerball ticket was actually a "mistake ticket," not a traditional lottery purchase.
The company then reviewed video surveillance footage and store receipts, and in conjunction with information they collected from the Iowa Lottery, determined that the winning ticket was in fact printed on Nov. 7 and set aside as a "mistake ticket." On Nov. 8, an employee scanned the ticket and discovered it had won a $100,000 prize. They then called McVicker, who came to the store and bought the ticket.
Casey's General Store fired McVicker for lying during the investigation and for violating company policy. His request for unemployment benefits was denied.
"Not only did he lie to [his] employer multiple times during the investigation, but he also purchased the ticket only after confirming it was a winning ticket," Administrative Law Judge Stephanie Adkisson said. "As a store manager, [he] was held to a higher standard than other employees."
The ticket for the $100,000 winning Powerball prize for the Nov. 7, 2022 drawing sold at Casey's General Store on Asbury Road in Dubuque has not been claimed.
This guy committed no crime buying a lottery ticket. He violated store policy playing the lottery on company time, and was subsequently fired. The ticket is a bearer instrument, and if in his possession, should be able to claim the prize. Probably should hire a lawyer just in case.
* Another doozy story from the land of " Field of Dreams."
Casey's General Store wanted to get rid of the Store Manager: Violation of Store Policy was the perfect excuse.
l support the store 100 percent this store clerks don't like to buy loosing tickets only if they know it is a winner. Rule is Rule . Play fairly and win fairly 😊😁 . That store manager needs a kick 🦶 in his Fat B... What a looser he is supposed to be getting promotion for protecting company interest first and how Stupid is he not to realize his own security tape is watching and then lie 🤥 shocking. Now he lost $100,000 ticket and $100,000
Job plus a Criminal Record 🙂 . If you want to buy a ticket buy it before the draw ok people ☺️😹
The article mentions mistake tickets. If by mistake you mean the ticket was printed in error, then the ticket should be void. If the ticket was printed and rejected by the customer (which cannot be cancelled), the store should be allowed to sell those. Apparently the 100K ticket was scanned, which was held after the drawing was conducted. Why is this store in the habit of retaining tickets after the drawing was conducted???
The answer is simple. Number one I play lottery all the time .l can void pick3 and pick4 but l can't void powerball or mega . So the store does not have the Ability to void certain games. Number two the store get to keep the winning ticket because the store is responsible for unsold ticket based on the contract with the lottery. Matter of fact this is not the first time it happened . Another cashier sold herself a multi million dollar ticket just like this before. The store did investigation went to court and the judge agreed 👍. So store clerks already know the drill what l don't understand is why can't they sell it to someone not working in the store and two why scan it when it trigger investigation. If it is me I will look at the numbers if they look good enough. I will call my ex girlfriend and tell her to hurry and come and buy it and I will print three more mistake to hide my game plan. But am not sure l trust my Ex more headaches later lol 😆🤣
Your values are questionable. That would still be in violation of the store policy by selling your ticket to an ex. In fact, it is arguably a criminal conspiracy at that point.
Sounds like your ex dodged a bullet.
It sounds like an inside job that went wrong. He bought a lottery ticket. Whoop de Doo everybody does.. there are enough problems in this country in your so worried about somebody buying a lottery ticket. The story is probably made up, something doesn't seem right about it
So since these tickets cannot be cancelled, the store is "stuck" with them. If any turn out to be winners-- does the store collect the prize or are they mandated to return them to the lottery?? From the employees perspective it would be a shame for the money to go unclaimed and revert back to the lottery. But since the employee is prohibited from purchasing these tickets due to company policy, it's understandable the employee would enlist a Confederate to come and purchase the ticket.
Round of applause. who cares? it was a setup.
any cameras around??? Cameras are near lottery tixs. Sounds like this was planned out.
violation my butt. they knew what they were doing. you should know that. you're a lawyer, correct, an attorney. this was a setup, end of story. The store should be worried about other things. If that is the case, is there a sign plastered in the business.
Correct. now they might have a lawsuit but hey their loss. thank you. inside job big time.
Employee scanned a ticket that wasn't sold, and found it to be worth 100K. Employee could have pocketed the ticket and put two dollars in the register. Then get a relative to cash it.
1. I do not understand why anyone would be a member of a social media site like LP if they believe the news stories are fake.
2. Most lottery retailers have a policy of not allowing employees to purchase tickets on work time. It is a reasonable anti theft prevention policy. The various state lotteries do not allow their employees to play the lottery at all.
3. The employee was denied unemployment benefits indicating that the termination was determined to be for cause.
4. He lied and changed his story.
5. And for any LP member to insist that almost every event is some sort of a bizarre setup, demonstrates a high degree of paranoia.
After the drawing who was the owner of the unsold Lottery Ticket: Casey's General Store!
What did the Store Manager Commit: Grand Theft!
What would you call buying a Ticket you knew was worth $100,000 after the drawing?
Did the Store Manager act in the best interest of Casey's General Store: No!
When did the lottery change the rules about selling yourself a ticket?
Timothy Schultz was a gas station employee who won the PowerBall in the 90s and he often states that he sold himself the winning ticket.
Granted he didn't purchase it after the drawing occurred, but I believe it was in Iowa also.
I can only fault the manager for not purchasing the ticket before the drawing and for lying about the whole situation.
110% accurate and a great closing statement!
It really is a No Brainer clear matter that most junior high kids would understand.
The company then reviewed video surveillance footage and store receipts, and in conjunction with information they collected from the Iowa Lottery, determined that the winning ticket was in fact printed on Nov. 7 and set aside as a "mistake ticket." On Nov. 8, an employee scanned the ticket and discovered it had won a $100,000 prize. They then called McVicker, who came to the store and bought the ticket.
...employees from Casey's General Store testified McVicker had contacted the company's human resources department to report that he and seven coworkers had won a $100,000 Powerball prize from a ticket bought at the store he managed...
There seems to be some contradictions between what happened and what the HR manager says that happened. The HR manager says he was on duty when he bought the ticket but didn't clock in. Really? Who works a whole shift without clocking in? If you forget you report it to somebody so they fix the time sheet. That way you are officially on the job. That doesn't jive at all with what the employee said, that McVicker bought the mistake ticket on the eighth after they called him and he came to the store.
Sounds to me like he bought the mistake ticket and wanted to split the prize with the employees. Or maybe management might have been looking for reason to get rid of him and this was it.
Iowa is an at will employment state. With the exception of a couple of very narrow exceptions which do not apply here, no justification was needed to terminate his employment.
You Don't understand. The store is Liable for all the unsold mega millions and Powerball ticket and also the store is the winner if such unsold ticket wins. It has happened before and the Judge ruled in favor of the store. Unless the store and the lottery have a different Agreement. This is currently the basic agreement policy The store pay for purchased and unsold tickets and the store keeps the prize if it wins . So employees know this rule it's simple unless the store and lottery change this rule the Judge previously agreed to award millions to a grocery store and the cashier was fired for Good Camera never blinks lol 😆
you're the one that is delusional. ok.
I only have youtube , somethings I go on. I don't have facebook or those other cult sites like some people do. I guess you believe everything the media tells you, hhhmmm. the media makes up so much crap and goes by a code.
at will is protection for any company not the people. it was put in the 1800s to protect.
Social media has transformed the way businesses promote their products and services, and the rise of social media influencers has given companies a powerful new tool to reach their target audience. However, this new form of advertising also comes with its own set of problems, including dishonesty and misleading practices.
One of the biggest issues with social media influencers is the lack of transparency when it comes to sponsored content. Influencers are often paid to promote products or services, but they may not always disclose this fact to their followers. This can be especially problematic when the promoted product is something that the influencer wouldn't naturally use or endorse, as it can lead to a loss of trust among their audience.
So he broke store policy when he bought the ticket on company time after the ticket, as a winner, was already store property, as it was unsold at the time of the drawing.
He was reasonably fired, and now the store should cash the winning ticket, as they own it.
I agree 100%.
???? I am not sure what this story has to do with social media influencers but copying and pasting paragraphs from the internet without proper attribution is dishonest...and obvious to all.
No its not. It tells the truth. It's a blog.
"if it is not sold in time for its respective drawing, the ticket remains the property of the business that generated it."
And it sure looks like McVicker scanned and then bought the ticket after the drawing. One would think after the Tipton adventures, people would learn not to mess with the Iowa Lottery.
Made up ??? The person was fired from their place of employment. That hardly seems to be a fraudulent story to me.... The facts presented do not appear to be made up.
HR Manager asks McVicker a series of questions about the purchase.
Whilehe reported that he bought the ticket on the evening of Nov. 7, Klenzman later came to the conclusion that he had been working that day and was on duty during the time frame he says purchased the ticket, despite not clocking in for work.
However
The company then reviewed video surveillance footage and store receipts, and in conjunction with information they collected from the Iowa Lottery, determined that the winning ticket was in fact printed on Nov. 7 and set aside as a "mistake ticket." On Nov. 8, an employee scanned the ticket and discovered it had won a $100,000 prize. They then called McVicker, who came to the store and bought the ticket."
According to the Iowa Lottery, a longstanding security requirement of multi-jurisdictional games like Powerball is that tickets cannot be cancelled. A retailer that prints a ticket in error can still sell the ticket, but if it is not sold in time for its respective drawing, the ticket remains the property of the business that generated it.
This isn't that hard to follow. This guy is wrong for telling the HR person he bought the ticket on Nov 7th, video and sales would clearly prove that. Unless the guy bought the ticket after he clocked out of work and before the draw.
Scanning the ticket by another employee on Nov 8th is clearly something easily verifiable by the Iowa lottery.
The other employee calling McVicker,those phone records are certainly available and easy to prove. McVicker coming to the store on Nov 8th and buying the ticket is provable. The ticket was not his to be purchased. The employee who scanned the darn thing wasn't authorized to sell it after the draw. PERIOD
Last but not least, any employer in retail is going to have you read and sign documents that ensure you follow their policies and rules,to include sales of lottery products or a responsible vendor program. Should you make the choice not to follow those rules, you are history. Period. Behave or be gone.
The Common sense flower doesn't grow in everyones garden. Making excuses for bad behavior, lies, lack of integrity or responsibility, is the start of demise to a trusting and aspiring civilization.
Where is the proof? Tell me that thenb.
Watch this video on a similar situation $4.1 million dollars winning ticket tried to Claim it but company won. 😊
https://youtu.be/ejVvM_4NTN4
It seems that the definition of mistake ticket is the ticket is in the store's possession AFTER the drawing, so as long as the ticket is purchased BEFORE the drawing they cannot lay claim to it.
If you want to know happens, ask the lottery. I sent an email to the Md lottery.
FYI: Casey's General Store has 2,146 stores in 16 states all of which are corporate owned.
The unsold Lottery Ticket belongs to Casey's Corporate Headquarters.
As most convenient stores hold the cashier accountable for any tickets that are printed in error. It leaves it to his discretion to sell the ticket to another customer that is interested or he can purchase the ticket at the end of his shift. I have friends that work at gas stations that are authorized ticket sellers and that's what they are allowed within the store policy.
Several times, I've had cashiers validate the form for themselves, and put it aside to pay for it later with their own money at the end of their shift. So, actually I play along with with the cashier when I play my numbers at that store. That's how a lot of cashiers make side money playing Pick 3, Pick 4, & Pick 5 with their customer's numbers. Cashiers play customers numbers for themselves.
Because of all the heated Argument tonight on Mistake printed tickets . I saw three tonight in Indiana and l quickly bought all Three for $7 . We keep you all posted if l win Go Indiana 🤞 🤞 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀
I never buy mistake tickets. I always view them as unlucky.
Todd and Kate work tirelessly to invent stories about lottery players just to mess with us. Instead of putting their fiction writing skills to use by writing scripts for Hollywood, they created a lottery news forum to post their creative efforts.
/s
I wouldn't buy them either, but around here I never even see retailers offering unwanted PB and MM tickets for sale to customers. I wonder how common this is and if there are regional cultural differences that make players in some states more prone to refusing to pay for their mistake tickets, rather than just accepting them and learning a lesson to be more careful next time. I'd feel like an a** refusing to buy what was already printed if the error was on my end. (All our in-state draw games are cancellable, so a customer can get a refund for those.)
The handful of times I was offered mistake tickets they were from a prior transaction or were not paying attention to what drawing I asked for tickets. But those times were the rare occasions when I bought qps. Now I can buy most on the lottery website .
I think Todd and Kate should be nominated for a fiction award for the story of the lottery winner with a pet alligator. Lol. Rumor has it that their next venture is a book for children on the pet alligator. The working title is
"What Did The Alligator Say?"
I wonder if he had bought the ticket on work time and before the drawing and it turned out to be a loser if they still would have fired him ? Or would they have considered it okay because he saved the store a few bucks.
You ever hear of ai, not the former basketball player, artificial intelligence. deal with it. it's actually helping me to get more sales. all the customer service jobs will be no more, all the cashier jobs bye bye.
I think they used that manager as a skapegoat. You might know law, I worked armored car work in the past early 2000s and trust me this whole thing out there going on is ridiculous. I resell items and ship fast. Most news story are with what I can see through it.