Finding a lottery ticket

Reply #35

joker17 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:36:16 GMT

You're obviously making up your own rules regarding bearer instruments . I don't need internet definitions, I just had to show you that I didn't make it up. Secondly, there shouldn't be any argument about this cause you're comparing bearer instrument documents to everyday property....like jewelry, steros, TVs, etc....They are two different things and the documents DO belong in a special class property category. If your case was true, they wouldn't have a different name for it. They'd call ALL po... [ More ]

Reply #34

rcbbuckeye — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:23:06 GMT

rdgrnr,

I never heard of any snake handlers in Nacodoches, LOL. You might get lost in TX.

You are right about ol' Willis. Tx Lottery told his lawyer they paid out and that's it. The authorities recovered about $365k and are trying to get the rest, but the lottery comm is not involved with that.

Of course, he didn't lose his tic, a clerk committed fraud. But he was careless and didn't sign his tic, and trusted a stranger.

Reply #33

KY Floyd — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:56:22 GMT

A switch ? I just used an easy example to demonstrate that your claim that whoever physically holds that document owns it is clearly incorrect. Given that, why would you think that the rest of the info from a simplistic definition you found on the internet is correct?

I'll assume that your understanding of laws about lost property extends beyond finders keepers and you know that simply losing your property doesn't mean you immediately lose your ownership interest. If not, you can fix that wit... [ More ]

Reply #32

rdgrnr — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:36:36 GMT

When I find one in Nacogdoches I'm cashin' that sucker in cuz Texas don't care if you stole it. Yee Haa! Ask Willis Willis.

Reply #31

Dollar419 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:49:26 GMT

If the found ticket were lost and not signed; then it is your ticket, plain and simple--which is why Lottery officials always state to sign your ticket no manner what; can they force you to do so? NO; however it makes just plain sense to sign it as proof it is your ticket and no one else--however there is the moral issue at stake; should or shouldn't you keep or turn in the ticket??? Only you can determine in your heart and mine the right thing to do at the exact right time; LOTTERY KARMA

Reply #30

joker17 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:14:13 GMT

It may still be a bearer instrument, but it was obtained illegally, therefore stolen property. That's different than finding one on the street.

This argument is rediculous anyways because the last thing a burglar is looking for is a winning lottery ticket. The poster was talking about finding a lottery ticket. You're the one who brought up the whole stolen idea because you were digging at the bottom of the barrel, and then try to do a switch on me....Nice try.

Reply #29

KY Floyd — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:54:56 GMT

Of course I'm serious. It's an exercise in logic, and if you had any inclination to actually think about the matter, maybe you wouldn't have to ask.

That is stealing, and therefore the ticket is no longer a bearer instument

Where do you come up with these ideas? If something is a bearer instrument it will always be a bearer instrument unless you sign your name to it. I'll assume you think that if somebody steals a ticket they don't own it, so how does that fit with your blanket statemen... [ More ]

Reply #28

JAP69 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:53:49 GMT

This is what I pulled from my states site.

Q: What happens if I lose a winning ticket?

A: SCEL is not responsible for lost or stolen tickets. If you lose a ticket, it is like losing cash and cannot be replaced. To protect yourself against theft, always SIGN YOUR WINNING TICKET as soon as you realize the ticket is a winner. Also, if you are not cashing the ticket immediately, fill out the entire ticket back. This may increase your chances of having a lost ticket returned to you.

Reply #27

joker17 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:45:46 GMT

You make a great point. But in all seriousness, this scenerio presented here doesn't happen but maybe once every 10 years or so. Hypothetical situations such as this are so rare that you're only reading about the one ore two incidents in many year's time.

It's hard enough having the 6 winning numbers much less finding one on the streets....lol

Nevertheless, it'd be very tempting to try to cash it regardless of the risks involved. Based on the stats I've investigated, it's apparently very d... [ More ]

Reply #26

JAP69 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:43:56 GMT

Anything under $600.00 use common sense like Joker said.

IMHO

If it is to be claimed at a claims center tell them it is a found ticket and you claim it as found as you did not see who dropped it. They should treat the ticket the same as a lost and found item. The loser of the ticket will need to prove ownership.

I was at the lottery retailer just recently and found an item on the floor in front of the register counter. There was no other customers there so I gave it to the cashier at th... [ More ]

Reply #25

Coin Toss — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:20:37 GMT

joker17,

On one of The Lottery Changed My Life programs, or The curse of the Lotery, they showed the incident in California when a clerk pulled a switcheroo on a player.

That player joined LP and gave their side of the story. They posted a lot of information about such situations and about the lottery commission asking questions to see if the person claiming the jackpot, or scratcher prize, was the actual purchaser.

From your post above, if you find a $50 bill on the street, do you thin... [ More ]

Reply #24

joker17 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:42:00 GMT

Are you serious?

I think the poster was referring to finding a ticket , not breaking into someone's house or going thru a lady's purse. That is stealing, and therefore the ticket is no longer a bearer instument, it's stolen property.

There are exceptions to just about every rule. Just like cash. If I find a 50 dollar bill on the ground, do you really expect me to ask everyone around the area if it's theirs? Of course they'll say yes it's theirs. On the other hand, If I see someone ap... [ More ]

Reply #23

KY Floyd — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:54:07 GMT

Whoever physically holds that document owns it.

So if your ticket is stolen the thief becomes the lawful owner? If you drop it and somebody picks it before you can they become the lawful owner

Reply #22

joker17 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:31:13 GMT

and the owner doesn't lose their ownership interest simply because they lose or misplace the property they own.

I beg to differ. That's the whole purpose of a bearer instrument. Whoever physically holds that document owns it.

bearer instrument

Hide links within definitionsShow links within definitions

Definition

A negotiable instrument which is payable on demand to the holder, regardless of whom it was originally issued to.

Reply #21

stephi — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:55:30 GMT

Pick it up, put it through a shredder twice, and then spread out all the little pieces in the recycling container at the county recycling center. It would do me no good, whoever lost it expects the whole amount back. Wouldn't give me a dime if I turned it in, I know. If it was me who lost the ticket and someone found it and did the right thing, they would expect me to give a big portion of it to them but if it were them they would give me nothing.

And by destroying the ticket, I would save al... [ More ]

Reply #20

Coin Toss — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:31:02 GMT

Incidents like the one being described in Texas in this thread are the reason when a state gets a lottery they should srtaff the commission with lottery people, not good ole boys who have connections and no experience.

The Delaware short-lived legalized sports betting in the 1980s comes to mind. They actually had office people making up pintspreads instead of seeing what the real ones were. Word got out that they had false favorites in games and people from Vegas flew to Delaware and clobbere... [ More ]

Reply #19

rcbbuckeye — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:36:56 GMT

I just checked a couple tickets I bought in Nov. One was purchased on Nov 9, and only the date is printed along with the draw number and the amount of the tic. It's printed right in the middle of the tic.

The tics I bought on Monday have the same thing, but they also have the date and time printed at the top of the ticket right below the game it is for. They started doing this sometime in Nov, because I checked a tic bought on Nov 30 and it has the new date and time printed on it. I didn't bo... [ More ]

Reply #18

Stack47 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:22:02 GMT

I'm pretty sure the terminals were programed to print the time and date of purchase when each state lottery went online. In Ohio the race tracks used computers before the lottery started and sometimes the terminals didn't shut down on time making it possible to make a bet after the race started. One time at Thistledown near Cleveland, the terminals were still printing tickets for that race after the race was over.

With the lottery and televised drawings, if the terminals didn't stop printing... [ More ]

Reply #17

ThatScaryChick — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:36:01 GMT

They just started doing that in your state? That's weird. I thought it was common practice for them to stamp the ticket with the time and date of when the ticket was purchased. They've been doing that for a long time in my state. I don't think I can even remember a time where I didn't see a time stamp on my tickets

Reply #16

time*treat — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:15:41 GMT

Each retail location also gets a unique number.

Since you always buy from the same store, you may notice one of the numbers in a corner of all your tickets remains the same.

Reply #15

rdgrnr — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:09:15 GMT

If I have to tell the lottery people where and when I bought a winning ticket I could be in trouble. I step out quite a bit and I'll stop here and there on occasion and buy a lottery ticket in other states. How'm I supposed to remember where I bought em'?

Sometimes I even buy them in them northern states and you know them dadgum yankees are gonna give me a hard time. We wadn't too nice to em' when they came a traipsin' through these here mountains durin' the war if ya know what I mean, heh,... [ More ]

Reply #14

rcbbuckeye — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:22:36 GMT

I noticed recently that the tickets I buy have the date and time of purchase printed on them. This is fairly new in Texas, and my guess is it could be a reaction to the clerk in Grand Prairie stealing the winning MM ticket a while back. So, if you find a ticket on the ground, they can trace it to the store and exactly what time it was purchased. Then just match it with the time and picture on the security camera. For someone like me who buys their tickets at the same store every day, and where t... [ More ]

Reply #13

ca-dreamin* — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:04:30 GMT

Recently I saw a lottery ticket on the ground and I had the feeling it may have been lost. After reading the news story here LOL I decided it wasn't worth the trouble so I just kept walking.

Reply #12

time*treat — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:03:45 GMT

Your options will depend on where you are. Each state in the USA has its own rules. UK, Australia, Canada - likewise.

Reply #11

Coin Toss — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:57:53 GMT

London,

Your situation in the OP implies a jackpot winmner. The lottery isn't going to investigate a $1 or $10 win.

Reply #10

London — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:19:10 GMT

Oh......well if thats the case, I guess I won't be picking up any lost lottery tickets, because I definetely would not want to get caught up in fraud. If I see a overlooked 1 or 10 dollar win. I'll just drop it back down and keep going.

Reply #9

Raven62 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:41:40 GMT

If you were the person that lost the Winning Ticket: What would you want the Finder of said Lost Ticket to do: Cash it in for themselves or Return the Lost Ticket to You

Reply #8

KY Floyd — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:26:08 GMT

You've misunderstood the meaning of the stuff that's written on the back of the ticket because you don't understand what a bearer instrument is. Lottery tickets are personal property, just like many other things for which ownership isn't registered (ever hear of cash?), and the owner doesn't lose their ownership interest simply because they lose or misplace the property they own.

I would think you would only be committing fraud if you signedsomething at the time that you claimed the ticket t... [ More ]

Reply #7

psykomo — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 07:39:36 GMT

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psyko

Reply #6

jimjwright — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:12:16 GMT

Well of course I don't know the laws but I would think you would only be committing fraud if you signed something at the time that you claimed the ticket that said you purchased the ticket. It would all depend on the wording of claim form that I was signing on whether I was committing fraud or not. The PB tickets I buy have date/time store number, and I'm sure this information get stored in lottery database so in most cases if the store where ticket was purchased keeps an archive of surveillance... [ More ]

Reply #5

gobills — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:52:41 GMT

I bet the chances of this happening are so slim like 1 in a Billion. But how could somebody go to lottery office and say I lost a lottery ticket and have get that ticket back. I would think the state would keep the money but that is just me.

Reply #4

London — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:30:46 GMT

Yeah, I think its complete fradulent for a lottery retailer, to check someones tickets, find out they won and then tell them they lost and cash it for themsleves. Now thats just wrong on every moral level. But, if I am walkng down the street and saw a ticket, checked it and found out I won according to the writing thats on the back of every lottery ticket it would be mine if there was no name. When I was about 9 years old I was walking with my mom and picked up a scracth off, (that was already s... [ More ]

Reply #3

ThatScaryChick — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:10:44 GMT

That's not necessarily true. There was a news story posted here in July, where someone found a lottery ticket that turned out to be a winner and the couple who found the ticket were charged with fraud.

Reply #2

Coin Toss — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:52:28 GMT

London,

That's true, tickets are bearer indtruments, but there have been discussion here on LP kind of related to something like this. Especially the ones about clerks telling people they had losing tickets and the clerks tried to cash them, where it has come out that the lottery asks jackpt winners some questions and often they were on surveillance films.

So on the scenario gobills presented in the OP, a couple of things could happen. A lot would depend on the person who bought the ticket... [ More ]

Reply #1

London — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:26:17 GMT

Its yours. Lottery tickets are bearers instruments. If there is no name, you can claim.

Finding a lottery ticket

gobills — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:02:38 GMT

This is just hypothetical. Say you find a lottery ticket on ground. It was for that nights drawing and the next day you look at the numbers and you won. What are your rights to that ticket(if nobody signed the ticket). Is that ticket yours or do you have to return. What are the rules and what would you do with the ticket ( not the right thing but what would you do personally).