Clash over $1 million lottery ticket outlives buyer

Comment #27

mylollipop — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 05:00:10 GMT

You have such good insight and depth. You are willing to give him benefit of doubt. Donovan had a problem alright. I just never bought the idea tht he threw his ticket away. A million???? ? I have always thought that he was indecent and his hatefulness caused his demise. I said then and I say now, leave the old man alone less he be the next casuality.

Comment #26

justxploring — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 19:18:53 GMT

In a way I feel sorry for his family and can understand why they think they have claim to the winning ticket. I agree that St John is the rightful owner, since the ticket would have been buried in a landfill had he not pulled it out of a trash can. However, if this story is really true, Donovan had a gambling problem. I can't imagine anyone spending $2,000 on scratch tickets every month, especially if he had a family. You can't really separate the effect stress has on the mind the body. Knowin... [ More ]

Comment #25

libra926 — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:09:11 GMT

HAPPY STAURDAY 6/24.. RIP .....

LOLOLOOLOLO........it's always a pleasure reading your postings on this forum...don't be such a stranger......you have always been one of my favorites........

Comment #24

noahproblem — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 11:59:12 GMT

Actually, Rip, the prize codes on MA scratch tickets are not on the back - they're imbedded in the playfield on the front. After a few plays most players know where the codes are located on each ticket and can (if they want) just scratch those parts of the ticket which contain them.

Comment #23

Rip Snorter — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 12:33:03 GMT

part of the idea of playing scratch tickets IMO is the fun of playing (not that I'd throw away the money gained from winning, mind you...LOL).

The description of how they do things down at the hen doesn't convey an image of anything I'd call fun.

The dead guy actually didn't know how much he was going to spend on tickets when he went to the store. Went home for more money so's to come back and buy $70 more worth of scratchers.

Whew, Donavan thinks to himself. I just enjoyed si... [ More ]

Comment #22

noahproblem — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 11:34:27 GMT

It was Donovan's practice, says Doyle, to scratch the tickets at the store counter. Checking the ticket coding, he would then segregate the winners from the losers. He wouldn't know how much he won until later when he scratched off the rest of each ticket.

Donovan threw out all the tickets he thought were losers including the million-dollar winner and left the store.

The problem with relying on the codes is in MA they use the loser codes for the big winners (those over $600 wh... [ More ]

Comment #21

justxploring — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 05:23:06 GMT

Thanks everyone.

~Nancy

Comment #20

spy153 — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 00:40:55 GMT

you're a nut justxploring! Love ya

Comment #19

Badger — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 23:43:57 GMT

So you spent $10 and won $1 ($ -9.00) and when you buy your next ticket ( another $10 ticket??? ) if you don't win anything, you will have spent $20 but only lost $19. Or are you planning on spending only $1 on your next ticket? In which case then you will have spent $11 but only lost $10, yes.

Regardless, I still am trying to figure how the guy could spend basically $500/week on scratch-off tickets, while getting only a disability check and holding a part-time job. I work full time and no W... [ More ]

Comment #18

libra926 — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 22:38:28 GMT

6/20/2006

Reading this story brought to mind my new (one of many favorites) TV show WINDFALL I don't care about the critics, this show has real life story lines,and gets better each week. Mr. St. John can certainly say, he just came into a WINDFALL ....w/ all the drama attached to it that he probably never imagined(the drama that is)....he is being sued, like the group on the show....etc

Comment #17

libra926 — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 22:31:14 GMT

6/20/2006

I really like your number series....are the first 3 digits based on B'days..7-16-20....

Comment #16

libra926 — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 22:27:58 GMT

6/20/2006

JUST ....I really enjoyed reading your posting. You have always been one of my favorites, because of your knowledge, intelligence and of course wit ......keep it up..

Comment #15

ochoop17 — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:43:08 GMT

sad ,sad,sad

Comment #14

Leto — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:10:01 GMT

And I guess the Donovans have learned the hard way never to throw a lottery ticket away until knowing for sure they are losers.

Comment #13

SassysBaibeee — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:58:24 GMT

That would be why when Sassy and I go down to play scratch offs, it's always in pairs. We each check the ticket, and if we're at our regular store, they actually won't throw one of our tickets out without running it through their machine, even if we don't see that it's a winner. (Yes we're spoiled we know) lol

But I think the old guy's got the right idea, I'm sure that there are ALOT of people that throw those away without seeing it. And I don't see the issue with the annuity payments, it's... [ More ]

Comment #12

BabyJC — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 18:27:06 GMT

St. John has learned the hard way that, had he simply not mentioned that he found the ticket in the trash and just cashed it in as usual at lottery headquarters, NONE OF THIS WOULD NOW BE HAPPENING to him

Comment #11

konane — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 17:10:52 GMT

Donovan, a mechanic on disability, worked part time at the Xtra gas station up the street. He was a big man who strode into the White Hen most days to sit among the regulars at the small round tables by the window to play scratch tickets. Donovan spent more than $2,000 a month on tickets at the White Hen, said Doyle.

____

My question is whether a person drawing disability payments is allowed to work part-time, and to what amount of $$$ are they allowed to have as income before having to pa... [ More ]

Comment #10

DoubleDown — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:11:53 GMT

I give you a 5 star salute, JXP !!!

DD

Comment #9

nc6string — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:36:32 GMT

That's why there should be NO such thing as an annuity-only game. TWO deaths are involved.

Jack Whitaker took the cash-only, his granddaughter died.

Comment #8

bellyache — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 05:29:54 GMT

I agree, I didn't read anything about cash payments in the article. lol.

Comment #7

emilyg — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 03:44:08 GMT

Comment #6

RJOh — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 03:20:35 GMT

Maybe spent $2000/month included his winnings too. Spend and lose aren't the same, for example this evening I spent $10 on Ohio RC5 and won $1. When I cash in my ticket tomorrow and buy another ticket and lose, I will have spent $11 on RC5 but only lost $10.

Comment #5

Badger — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 03:04:42 GMT

I'm still trying to figure how the guy spent $2,000 / month on scratch off tickets while he was on disability !

That must have been some disability paycheck ! A lot of people don't get that much per month on social security

Comment #4

justxploring — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 02:23:31 GMT

Quote: Originally posted by CASH Only on June 19, 2006 That's why there should be NO such thing as an annuity-only game. TWO deaths are involved.

There's a prescription on the market for cash-only syndrome. The illness usually develops slowly as it destroys all logic and causes blurred vision.

This lawsuit has absolutely nothing to do with what kind of game he won. Any court could have kept St. John from spending his winnings. The case went to court to determine who was the rightful ow... [ More ]

Comment #3

CASH Only — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:15:26 GMT

The man who just died had just lost his father.

Comment #2

TheGameGrl — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:12:56 GMT

Maybe I mis-read the article, but I only saw one person pass on in the article...The guy who contended original ownership . Where is the other death or person to whom you reference

Comment #1

CASH Only — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 23:41:32 GMT

That's why there should be NO such thing as an annuity-only game. TWO deaths are involved.

Clash over $1 million lottery ticket outlives buyer

Lottery Post — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 23:35:10 GMT

What are the odds that a man could throw away a $1 million scratch ticket, lose his father and then his own life all in four months' time?

The regulars who play their lottery tickets here at the White Hen Pantry grocery now shrug away the misfortune that started at the counter last October for one of their own, Kevin Donovan, as if bowing to the vagaries of luck they gamble against each day.

But Donovan's run of bad luck has outlived him.

Last fall, he filed a claim against the elder... [ More ]