Woman takes Fla. Lottery to court for ticket misprint

Comment #50

lotto BJ — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:00:51 GMT

I have bought Gold Rush tickets looking only to match the player number with the winning number.never have i checked for the spelling under either number. so if the number dosn't match but amatched spelling is under a wrong number you can still win? Printing errors should be a problem for Printers and Florida Lottery and not the players. Pay up Florida.

A one (1) is a one (1) no matter how you spell it, and if there was a misprint on

that game ticket that was sold in 2007 why is it still b... [ More ]

Comment #49

KY Floyd — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:24:22 GMT

Maybe the state will take better measures as not to have anymore defective lottery tickets being sold to the public if the statehad to pay up the $500K!!!

What would you suggest? They they hire a bunch of people to carefuly look at every singe ticket to see if there's an obvious mistake, or anything that could confuse people who can't be bothered with checking the rules?

The Lottery while it may be held accountable for the distribution willmost likely be able to recoup this legal loss by... [ More ]

Comment #48

rdgrnr — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:36:17 GMT

That would make a good thread topic RJOh.

I would add one more to that list:

If you can show that you played a number for an eternity and it came up the draw after you stopped playing it you would get to boot the lottery director in the @ss.

Comment #47

RJOh — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:14:20 GMT

I'm sure if players could make their own rules about winning tickets, there would be more winners. For example:

If all the winning numbers were on a ticket some where then that ought to be worth something.

If the numbers you played come up in a pre-draw test then that ought to be worth something.

If you didn't understand the rules of the game but would have won if the games was as you though then that all to be worth something.

If you could prove you were more deserving than the actu... [ More ]

Comment #46

TheGameGrl — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:50:22 GMT

The legalities of this case are valid for Florida. It matters not what the rulings are in other states. Deeply disappointed in the folks siding with the lottery in this matter. The Lottery while it may be held accountable for the distribution will most likely be able to recoup this legal loss by counter suing the Contracted Print company.

ANd for the person who commented on Government contracting, I can 110% assure you that the US govt screws over US business quite nicely and does so by handi... [ More ]

Comment #45

amininflorida — Mon, 24 May 2010 20:07:48 GMT

Oh I would like to make some amendments to what I posted just a few minutes ago... I JUST realized that the TH being under the 1 (The winning numbers she has to match) has nothing to do likely with the winning amount lettering, and also noticed that there is an N partially showing (quite clearly actually) to the left of the 15 under the second row from the bottom of numbers (far left!) . There also appears to be a W visible next to the 3 on that same line.

This leads me to conclude (and any

Comment #44

amininflorida — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:57:33 GMT

Anyone else notice that this ticket was good old number 13 on the roll?

All that aside though, my views are that the Florida Lottery should pay her out since there apparently was no tampering on her part....another thing I am very curious about is whether the TH under the number 1 which is what they matched, is not perhaps part of the lettering we see under the latex when we have a winner (or non winner!)...like when we win $5 we see F I V scattered throughout the playing surface...perhaps b... [ More ]

Comment #43

tiggs95 — Sun, 23 May 2010 22:19:39 GMT

Or a mailman..

Comment #42

larry3100 — Sun, 23 May 2010 21:26:11 GMT

Ok,looks like that ticket may be one of those spoof tickets.Ann Marie should look behind that ticket and read it .It just might say Redeem at North pole-see and talk to Santa Claus .

Comment #41

louise black — Sun, 23 May 2010 21:19:17 GMT

Florida need to pay ,scratchs off are rip off .

Comment #40

Litebets27 — Sun, 23 May 2010 17:09:36 GMT

The Cusio's have been fighting this for 3 years. I hope she wins so that she can payoff some of those mounting legal fees.

Comment #39

rdgrnr — Sun, 23 May 2010 13:16:50 GMT

The printing company makes tons of money printing tickets for the state. (Anybody with a government contract makes tons because the government doesn't care what anything costs when they're spending other people's money) They should make the printing company responsible to cover all of their own mistakes. The mistakes will stop immediately, guaranteed. The printing company could get insurance to cover their losses. Problem solved.

This theory goes out the window however if the owner of the pri... [ More ]

Comment #38

grave — Sun, 23 May 2010 02:06:50 GMT

you got that right......

Comment #37

joshuacloak — Sat, 22 May 2010 20:28:01 GMT

am going to be the bad guy here

and say the lotto should not pay up

they keep records of winning tickets and only make so much money off of them

thro someone should be fired over this mistake IF,big if

if they KNEW ahead of time, this could happen, and did not do ever thing to fix it

and go ouch will, when the mis prints winners come to claim, we tell them no

then their the bigest snip s alive

This post has been automatically changed by the Lottery Post computer system... [ More ]

Comment #36

ThatScaryChick — Sat, 22 May 2010 19:02:05 GMT

I also agree with you. Since the ticket said match the numbers and nothing else, I can see her having a case. She matched the numbers. I think the Florida lotterys and other states, need to be more careful how they design their tickets to avoid problems like this.

Comment #35

RJOh — Sat, 22 May 2010 15:23:41 GMT

I am sure the ticket doesnt say Match the number AND all symbols and letters below the numbers .

True, but it probably did say it has to be verified by the Florida Lottery which included checking all the security numbers and letter codes they put on those tickets to make sure they are legitimate winners. They said three years ago this ticket was not a winner, I'm surprised this case hasn't been settled by now. This case may have to be settled by the next generation.

I remember a case in th... [ More ]

Comment #34

tiggs95 — Sat, 22 May 2010 14:47:40 GMT

This makes the most sense..Tickets all say Match your numbers with the winning numbers and not symbols unless you buy a ticket that says symbols and there are tickets that do say that and have symbols..Pay up Florida..

Comment #33

lottocalgal — Sat, 22 May 2010 14:06:50 GMT

I Agree,

When I look at my scratchers, I look to see that my number matches theirs, plain and simple. Iam SO SICK of oh it was a misprint. oh the slot machine malfunctioned stories I could just barf. And Im also so sick of the term The lottery is a business . I would expect a BUSINESS to provide legal and ethical services, I would also reserve the right to sue them after i find they have been misrepresenting themselves.

The lottery has been able to keep scratcher tickets in play for mon... [ More ]

Comment #32

TheOtherOne — Sat, 22 May 2010 13:55:44 GMT

I am sure the ticket doesnt say Match the number AND all symbols and letters below the numbers . It most likely just says 'match the numbers', and in this case, it does. plus, Florida might have A LITTLE bit of a case if the letters under the one said TWO or FIVE' but it has 'TH', which is at least part of the words 'FIVE HUND THO' (or whatever it says there).

So yeah, that is truly heartbreaking for this couple, well now this poor widowed woman, to have to fight this. And for 3 years? I wond... [ More ]

Comment #31

tiggs95 — Sat, 22 May 2010 12:52:22 GMT

So you lost 500,000.00..No big deal..Must be a big blow tho first losing her husband and then 500,000.00..Wonder if Florida Lottery will give back the price of the ticket?..We have no idea what this feels like but we have to feel sorry for this woman..

Comment #30

caipiao — Sat, 22 May 2010 11:41:47 GMT

Apparently they did match the numbers, but the 2 letters underneath did not match. Click on watch video to view. in the story.

LOL, 3 cases of FL not paying up on $500,000 tickets, I knew one other involving two matching 13 s but the letter code under each 13 doesn't match! look the closeup, this ticket is #13 but number 1 matched.

Why FL, any other state not paying?? I thought all tickets were made by same company, Scientific Games or G Games or some place. So they should make tickets f... [ More ]

Comment #29

RJOh — Sat, 22 May 2010 11:29:56 GMT

Check this story instead.

https://www.lotterypost.com/news/156108

Comment #28

Nino224 — Sat, 22 May 2010 07:03:04 GMT

That ticket could say Christmas Day and it wouldn't matter. It's the lottery's mistake, not the Curcio's. The lottery should pay and then sue the printing company for the $500K.

Comment #27

Czech — Sat, 22 May 2010 06:51:24 GMT

I personally feel she should get the money. But the thing I am most curious about, and I m sure will come out in court, is how many $500,000 prizes were available for that game and how many of those were paid out by the Florida Lottery.

I think if there were seven $500,000 prizes available and only six were paid out, the judge could conclude this ticket was the seventh winner even if there was a misprint.

Czech

Comment #26

Czech — Sat, 22 May 2010 06:43:17 GMT

justxploring, I know you were just kidding. But for those who might think otherwise, Mrs. Curcio got her ticket from her husband 3 years ago. And the story you linked to is less than a year old.

Czech

Comment #25

increase — Sat, 22 May 2010 05:51:08 GMT

Justxploring, you are too funny.

That would be something if that's where they actually got it.

Comment #24

justxploring — Sat, 22 May 2010 05:43:49 GMT

I think I know where Mrs. Curcio got her ticket.

https://www.lotterypost.com/news/198185

Comment #23

increase — Sat, 22 May 2010 05:43:17 GMT

I say if it's their mistake, then FL Lottery should have to pay up.

Comment #22

justxploring — Sat, 22 May 2010 05:30:10 GMT

I agree with you. In this age of technology, the lottery can't assume a ticket that looks official is the real deal and pay every would-be winner. That would be as if I told a cashier at Publix she has to accept my counterfeit $100 bill because I took it in good faith from the bank. You either have a ticket that matches or you don't.

Comment #21

jeffrey — Sat, 22 May 2010 04:38:52 GMT

I noticed that too. Looks like it was supposed to be a 31 or some such thing. This has come up in court before. The ticket was a loser in the previous court case. I doubt they can win. They may grow white just fighting it.

Comment #20

Omniscient — Fri, 21 May 2010 23:44:34 GMT

Its a mistake made by the FL lottery and they should honor the ticket regardless of the TH under the '1' ... The actual numbers matched up, so in my honest opinion, the FL Lottery should pay up the $500k. Typo or not... what's right is right. It is THEIR MISTAKE and they should own up to it and make sure their printing and validating QC measures are in place to prevent this from happening again. If it was me, I'd sue them too

Comment #19

dpoly1 — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:52:44 GMT

Pay Up Florida!

Florida Lottery Officials

Comment #18

BaristaExpress — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:50:27 GMT

Since when is it Legal for anyone (a state entity or otherwise) to sell defective products to the public without having to face the music for such actions?? They paid good money in good faith for a product that turns out to be a defective product! Any entity that knowingly sells defective products to the public usually faces some stiff fines for doing such a dirty deed! I say from here on out if they know that there is some defective lottery tickets the state lottery has an obligation to weed th... [ More ]

Comment #17

ScubaGolfJim — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:03:27 GMT

Georgia Lottery Instant Games Rules Regulations includes The Ticket must not be blank or partially blank, misregistered, defective, or printed or produced in error.

Florida Lottery... can't find the section for Instant Games Rules Regulations, at least very easily (I've looked through more than four times now...)

While most advertisers have the disclaimer Not responsible for misprints, I've not seen any such disclaimer in any past FL ads or anywhere on their website.

No... [ More ]

Comment #16

LotteryJunkiE99 — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:56:42 GMT

The Lottery is a game, but it is also a business. This g and b relies on a product to be valid and in good business 'working order' in order to stay in business. Just like when you go in and buy a defective product, even if you found about later, and even though the store may only give you a week to return it, it is the companies responsibility to trade the item, or replace it, so I hope they just don't give them out 5 dollars or whatever the ticket was worth by and in of itself, but instead the... [ More ]

Comment #15

rdgrnr — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:44:41 GMT

Ticket # 13.

Husband passed away...

Hmmm...

Throw that ticket away lady.

Burn it.

Comment #14

Raven62 — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:24:27 GMT

Their may be: Players wouldn't know unless they take each and every Instant Ticket to their Lottery Retailer and have them verify as to whether each Ticket is a Winner or a Loser!

If the Serial Number of the Ticket said the Ticket was a Winner and the Face of the Ticket said it was a Loser: Would the Lottery again Refuse to Pay and use the excuse that the Ticket is a Misprint?

The Instant Games don't seem to be Fair for Players, but extremely Profitable for the Lottery

Comment #13

jump1900 — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:15:55 GMT

sue there azz for $500,000 for pain and suffering...it hurt's me just to read

about. some people wouldn't be that nice about. where i come from...sh$t

happens.

Comment #12

HaveABall — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:35:24 GMT

Thanks RJOh, since I don't play often, I forgot about EVERYTHING much match. It is obvious that there is a TH under the top # sequence to match ... I'm surprised that this woman's husband found not 1, but 2 unobservant lawyers willing to distract a judge thereby spending the State of Florida's income tax paying citizens money -- intended robbery! This woman should face charges

Comment #11

KY Floyd — Fri, 21 May 2010 17:34:22 GMT

And the ticket says nothing about a matching serial number, Walters said.

So where's the picture of the back of the ticket? I'm guessing it says pretty clearly that the game is subject to all of the lottery's rules. I can't imagine anybody being so stupid that they think all of the rules would actually fit on the ticket.

Plain and simple, the ticket failed the validation test because it wasn't a winning ticket. As RJ point out, you don't even need a serial number to think the ticket may no... [ More ]

Comment #10

konane — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:35:42 GMT

It's common sense the serial number of the ticket should be a match to what any lottery has in their records. If I remember correctly that was shown in a tv program about the printing of instant game tickets.

Comment #9

Set4life — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:31:16 GMT

Shame on you fl lotto. Gl to her getting her money

Comment #8

drhymes74 — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:40:14 GMT

Whenever I go to FL, it looks like I won't be buying any lottery tickets there.

Comment #7

RJOh — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:37:39 GMT

The picture clearly shows the letters TH under the top 1 and the letters ONE under the other 1 , they are not matching 1 s. There's no misprint and there's no match which was required to win. That's Florida lottery original story and they are probably going to stick with it.

Part of the excitement of playing scratch-offs are those types of tricks that make you think you've won until you take a closer look, that's the reason I seldom play them and when I do I prefer the ones that say match th... [ More ]

Comment #6

1977 — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:17:42 GMT

When Florida Lottery sells you a ticket you are buying it in GOOD FAITH---So FLORIDA LOTTERY should pay up. They just thought this couple Would just accept it and go away. I am going to email the florida lottery and express my dismay about this incident .This could have been me or you or anybody else that thought they have a chance on getting paid when we buy a winning ticket.

Comment #5

Grovel — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:02:52 GMT

This is why I would not quit my job until I went to the lottery headquaters and verfiy that I had indeed won. I would be too scared crap like this would happen. Flordia should pay up.

Comment #4

time*treat — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:30:02 GMT

Somehow losing tickets are never misprints.

Comment #3

Raven62 — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:57:54 GMT

All the Lottery Scammers aren't in Nigeria: Some of them may be in the Florida selling bogus Florida Instant Lottery Tickets!

Where is that Misprinted/Bogus Lottery Ticket Insurance when you need it

Comment #2

mjwinsmith — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:00:29 GMT

I am on the same page, as you, as long as the purchaser of the ticket did not alter it, the state of Florida should pay. If not then the state loses all credibility to players of the scratch off tickets. What would be the next excuse, the ticket had the wrong color ink on it, give me a freaking break.

Michael

Comment #1

chloerose — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:33:29 GMT

I think Florida lottery should pay up. I would be excited to see I had matched the numbers. I don't look to see if my scratch tickets have a serial number, just the number at the bottom of the scratch ticket. Pay up Florida, do the right thing. It was your printing mistake. Don't send tickets out with flaws.

Woman takes Fla. Lottery to court for ticket misprint

Lottery Post — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:00:39 GMT

Ann Marie Curcio says her fight with Florida's Department of the Lottery is about more than money. The 58-year-old woman says it's about what is right and what is wrong.

But this week, it also became about a $500,000 lawsuit in which she is claiming Florida's lottery officials are refusing to honor a scratch-off ticket because of a printing error.

We got wronged. I'm very sad about that, she said from her Ocala home during a telephone interview. (But) I'm not going to give up.

The sto... [ More ]