Mishap leads to lottery jackpot for Florida couple

Comment #31

KY Floyd — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:49:57 GMT

I would guess that the ticket was free because Publix understands customer service. A customer asked a Publix employee to have the terminal generate a ticket, and that creates a contract to buy the number of tickets requested, and pay for them. An implied part of the contract is that Publix won't do anything to reduce the value of the ticket that the customer is buying. If something causes the clerk to fail at doing what that contract calls for it's up to Publix to make good on the contract. If... [ More ]

Comment #30

Coin Toss — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:21:25 GMT

The Lottry Fairy gets involved with more than just what numbers hit

Comment #29

justxploring — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:52:14 GMT

This is why I usually buy the mistakes. Depends.

Not sure why the ticket would be free. Publix always gives you the grocery item for free if it's scanned incorrectly, but a Lotto ticket? All Florida Lotto tickets can be canceled simply by putting the ticket in the terminal. Takes a couple of seconds. Then it prints in big black letters CANCELLED (not true for PB tickets, which cannot be canceled) It must be canceled within 2 hours at the same terminal and, of course, before the drawing. Not s... [ More ]

Comment #28

RJOh — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:47:20 GMT

Oh sure you say that now after finding out it was a winner. I use to buy any mistakes made by the clerks while running my play slips but after never winning anything I stopped.

Comment #27

amininflorida — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:24:27 GMT

Well If I was the clerk I would NOT And I repeat NOT Have passed up the chance to BUY The mistake ticket (I am guessing as an employee they have to BUY It, because otherwise there would be a lot of mistakes happening

Comment #26

RJOh — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:07:32 GMT

You won't have to wait very long if you're willing to pay for it because those types of mishap happens all the time but store don't give them away they sell them. On the the other hand, if you are waiting for a store to just give you a free ticket because someone made a mistake, you'll be waiting a long time. If it was really free, why did the clerk have to buy it

Comment #25

ohiopick3 — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:49:08 GMT

Wouldn't it be nice to be a mishap for that one

Comment #24

LotteryJunkiE99 — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:40:44 GMT

WOW! Hey!, Amazing story. hehe made my afternoon. I always take exact change when buy my tickets, so that I am not tempted to buy more than I originally wanted, but jeeez a free lotto ticket, I would have taking it, I think lol. But we all know now what these kind of things can lead to. Didn't pay for it, it's not yours, it's the stores, blah blah blah, clerk shouldn't have given it to you... etc etc ... lol but jeeez, what LUCK! I can't stop smiling lol. This is great.

Here in Oklahoma... [ More ]

Comment #23

Raven62 — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:32:21 GMT

Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is the sovereignty, superintendence, or agency of God's influence over events in people's lives.

Comment #22

quoquiqua — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:50:03 GMT

Free of charge or not, I would still take it

Comment #21

BuyLow — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:04:58 GMT

I bought a mistake Powerball ticket the other day, but without the luck of these people. Not quite sure why the clerk just didn't cancel the ticket, here in FL they can cancel any ticket mistake EXCEPT Powerball which are not cancelable.

Comment #20

kingssean — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:24:46 GMT

Wow. Incredible story. I probably learned something here. If that ever happened to me, I would not refuse to take it.

Comment #19

Dollar419 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:09:22 GMT

It was just the luck of draw that she won and too bad the other person passed on getting a free lotto ticket-VAULABLE LESSON LEARNED; NEVER TURN DOWN A FREE LOTTO TICKET OR AT LEAST BUY THE EXTRA TICKET YOURSELF WHEN YOU ARE OFFERED.

Comment #18

PERDUE — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:16:13 GMT

Well let's just hope the woman that passed on the ticket doesn't get a lawyer and sues claiming that she is entitled to half or all of the jackpot. And let's hope that a judge and jury does not agree. I mean after all a lot of unfair rulings seem to be prevelent these days. Other than that, I am happier than a pig in mud that the person that purchased the ticket won.

Comment #17

Dollar419 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:23:11 GMT

What a blessing to win that money!!! I wish I could win on a simple mishap like that--CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER

Comment #16

dpoly1 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:09:45 GMT

Waiting for my mishap

Comment #15

DC81 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:58:03 GMT

I bet that person who passed on that ticket are kicking themselves nice and hard now.

Comment #14

Todd — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:51:17 GMT

I do the same thing.

Comment #13

joshuakim — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:31:48 GMT

lol, spare change, read into it carefully. you'll get it.

Comment #12

LottoLin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:32:31 GMT

I live in Wisconsin, and if the clerk makes a mistake and hits the wrong key and two tickets come out you pay for one. And sometimes the machines are running so fast when the jackpots get so high that a extra ticket will come out with your ticket and they'll ask if you want the extra ticket. I've yet refused that extra ticket, because one never knows which ticket will be that lucky one. Good Luck to All Players, Lin

Comment #11

fja — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:58:28 GMT

That's humor!!

I recognized it

Comment #10

Spare Change — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:52:03 GMT

Tiger,

I don't see how providence had anything to do with it. This happened in Florida, not Rhode Island.

Comment #9

TigerAngel — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:16:08 GMT

Oh, I love this story!

Once I wanted to buy 935 but the ticket I got was 925. While discussing it with the clerk, a customer said you better keep that mistake, that's the winner . So I kept it. 935 never came but soon 925 did!!! After I quit playing it, of course!! LOL

Sounds like the right person won and providence had something to do with it. I'm a believer in mistake tickets.

Congrats to that winning couple

Comment #8

ThatScaryChick — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:16:34 GMT

Same here. I've been offered the chance to buy mistake tickets, but they were never given to me free.

Comment #7

RJOh — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:37:32 GMT

That's the first time I've ever heard of a store giving its mistakes to the customer. All the stores where I've ever bought tickets sold their mistakes for full price.

Comment #6

bashley572 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:38:13 GMT

I have never heard of a NY lottery machine spitting out 2 tickets instead of 1?? THe only thing I run into is the clerk putting in the wrong number like tonight, wanted 818 on the 3 way and clerk did 181 . And I also ALWAYS take the ticket, and pay for it.

Comment #5

TheGameGrl — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:29:36 GMT

WOW! Nothing like being blessed!

Anytime my tickets are a goof I take them and I find out why they were a goof! I've yet to win that way....

To some luck just comes easy for some....

Comment #4

konane — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:23:00 GMT

Amazing series of events! Congratulations to them, sounds like they can really put it to good use

Comment #3

LckyLary — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:21:03 GMT

This happened to me too.. well the 1st part anyway.. for tonight's drawing, a few days ago they gave me 2 Mega instead of 1 as I asked so I took both of course

Comment #2

Stigmatized1999 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:09:24 GMT

More importantly, why would the machine make a mistake? That is just weird...

Comment #1

CowboysFan — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:53:53 GMT

Am I missing something here? The lady was offered the ticket free of charge yet she still refused to take it

Mishap leads to lottery jackpot for Florida couple

Lottery Post — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:48:43 GMT

Publix employee buys mistake worth millions

When the ticket printer at the Publix on Gladiolus Drive in south Fort Myers accidentally popped out two Florida Lotto tickets instead of just the one a customer ordered a few weeks ago, no one could have predicted the mechanical error would turn out to be a windfall.

The customer was offered the extra ticket free of charge as is the store's policy but the woman refused to take it. So the Publix clerk who sold the ticket offered the extra to a fe... [ More ]