"Technical issue" caused "misprint" that has players considering legal action
By Kate Northrop
The Hoosier Lottery has halted sales for its "Space Invaders Cash Invasion" scratch-off game after players have come forward with tickets that appear to have won $100,000 and other prizes valued in the thousands, which the Lottery is attributing to a "technical issue."
Some Indiana players are taking to online forums and news outlets to voice frustrations at being denied prizes as high as $100,000 after reportedly being told their winning tickets were just a "misprint."
Shortly after the Hoosier Lottery launched "Space Invaders Cash Invasion" on June 2, the game got pulled from shelves when players started reporting that they were told that their ticket was only worth $20 when it appeared to have won thousands.
Mike Fields has been broadcasting his story across multiple online channels to draw attention to the issue. In a Reddit post that has now garnered over 77,000 upvotes, Fields said the Hoosier Lottery told him that his "$100,000 win was actually a $20.00 misprint" and that "they pulled the game hours later."
His wife said it was a huge amount of money, especially since he operates a forklift for work, he told Fox59.
Fields posted a photo of his ticket, where game rules at the bottom state: "Match any of your symbols to any of the winning symbols, win prize shown. Find a "rocket" symbol, win prize shown instantly!"
In the play area on Fields' ticket, it shows that he revealed two "rocket" symbols — one for a $5 prize, and the other corresponding to a $100,000 prize. He also revealed two matching symbols that each won a $5 prize.
He had discovered that he was not alone in his confusion when he visited the Lottery's main office and came across other players who were experiencing the same disappointment.
"It's a crazy amount," Fields said under the username redhotmess77. "There are 8 100-thousand winners so far that have contacted us or Fox59. And [there] are hundreds of 2,500- and 5,000-dollar winners as well."
His social media post has been inundated with other users urging Fields to contact a lawyer, with some arguing that denying the prize "seems illegal."
While Fields said that he doesn't have the money to pursue legal action alone, he believes the situation could merit a class action lawsuit since he knows of at least ten other supposed $100,000 winners in the same boat as him.
Fields said the Lottery would inform him of an update by mail within 30 days, but that he would have to call to follow up if he did not hear anything from them.
"The issue involved a printing error where some tickets appeared to show a prize different from what was recorded on the lottery commission's official validation record," a Lottery representative said in an email to Nexstar. "The Lottery is reviewing all applicable rules and procedures to determine the proper remedy."
Tyson Enochs is a lottery enthusiast who was also impacted by the error and took to news outlets to tell his story.
"This would've been the biggest blessing for me and my family, and when I saw [the prize amount], I was thinking, 'Oh my god, this is a dream,' and my hopes just started shooting, and then everything started feeling like, 'Wow, everything just went right back to where it came from," Enochs told the ABC57 over the phone.
Enochs had purchased more than 20 tickets for the "Space Invaders Cash Invasion" scratch-off game, and one of his tickets appeared to win $100,000 just like Fields'. But when he went to claim his winnings, he was told that the tickets were invalid.
He said the whole ordeal didn't last longer than five minutes.
"I was right there [at the retailer], I didn't even leave, I just kind of scratched them and then went in to get my money, and I went to purchase more, and I even bought twenty more," Enochs explained.
The avid lottery fan said he is considering taking legal action if he does not get paid out what he feels is money owed to him.
Among other players who feel slighted is Glendon Jarvis, who was told to come to Lottery headquarters in Indianapolis to claim a $2,500 prize that he thought he won. He had bought "more than a dozen" scratch-off games leading up to the alleged win and had driven over an hour from Richmond to get there only to be told his ticket was worthless.
"I get here, and then they say it's a mess-up, misprint, and that I'm pretty much out of luck on it," Jarvis told the Fox59 outside of Lottery offices.
"The $5 'Space Invaders Cash Invasion' scratch-off launched with a technical issue," the Lottery says on its website. "We halted the sales of the ticket to ensure the game experience upholds the integrity we strive to provide."
On the Hoosier Lottery's website, the "Space Invaders Cash Invasion" scratch-off advertises three top prizes of $100,000, 27 second-tier prizes of $2,500, and 667 third-tier prizes of $500. None of the top prizes and second-tier prizes appear to be claimed at this time.
The Lottery recommended that players experiencing an issue with the game should complete a Protest Form available on their website, and that all information must be submitted, including mailing the purchased ticket with the completed form, no later than November 30, 2026.
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Those bat rastards should be locked up cheating the public. They paid they scratched they won PAY UP MO FO
It's Indiana lottery and the maker of the tickets error pay up. Looking at that photo of the scratch off I would have known it was some kind of error because how do you win 100k and $5 on the same ticket. Either way with the class action they will get some money which is better than nothing. It sucks to get that feeling and have it snatched away.