That sucks!

precicely why you should educate yourself on any game you play, even the lottery.  If she played the lottery so much she should have read the rules about winning tickets over a certain amount.  She could have saved herself the trouble of going to Publix.

Many Publix have a small terminal where you can check tickets yourself .... might have been easier if she'd used it if it was available.  If she knew it was a winner she could have requested a photo copy of the ticket (for taxes) at the customer service counter where tickets are purchased.  Also she should have signed the back of the ticket if she knew it was a winner.

In the future she could use a yellow highlighter on the top edge of the ticket to make sure it doesn't get set aside.  

She will get the money eventually. With the ticket receipt and continuation ticket, the lottery dept. can confirm it is a valid claim. At worst, she will have to wait until the 180 days to claim timeframe is up. After that, if no one else claims the money for that ticket her claim will be honored. Even though the actual ticket is a bearer instrument "required" for payment, there are exceptions...

anyone else would have to be a straight up moron to try to cash that ticket after the press it has been given.

I don't blame Publix, I blame her irresponsibility.  That's like one of lottery's common sense; if you have the winning ticket, you need it for proof.

While possible, I doubt that it's anything more than an honest mistake, since the woman was given the receipt and continuation ticket. That would mean nobody has stolen the ticket with an intent to cash it, but somebody could potentially find it in the trash. Since it's not the only winning ticket, how would anyone else know it's the same ticket? Though the article didn't say, the lottery has presumably listed the ticket as paid so that it can be recovered if somebody does try to cash it. As duckman says, she should see the money eventually.

What's a continuation ticket?  They don't give those  out in MI.  U would

just b up S--t creek without a paddle.  Broke and disgusted

Well that sucks for her. That's a hard and costly lesson to learn. Always, get your ticket back if win more then the store is able to cash. Plus, one should check their own numbers to see how much they won. I hope that the reciept that she received will be enough for her to get her winnings if the investigation finds out that she really did have a winning ticket.

Smoothjuice- You might want to re-consider reading the entire article. The lady HAD the ticket. It was the clerk who kept it , tossed it or misplaced it. Once the lady turned the ticket over, short of her jumping the counter for it back, it was the clerks duty to return it.

For Publix's to ban the lady for speaking up on a matter is extremely poor customer service and BAD publicity.

  While I agree everybody on LP is going to lecture her about being more responsible, with her lottery playing, and ticket keeping up with,

     Mabey the Manager found it in the trash, and he was very rude with, "Don't ever come in this store again".

            I'd probably be in Jail if he said that to me,     .......ala a little gasoline down the 'ole, ventalation duct in the middle of the night.       

             She's right to avoid that store in the future I guess.

These young clerks don't care...most of the time they don't even want to be bothered with your lottery ticket.  That lady should write a letter to Publix's headquarters.....no....she should just get an attorney and sue for emotional distress, etc.  I'll bet they'll investigate a lot sooner then.  All they have to do is give her the money for the ticket that THEY threw away.

I[m with you Dopey!  I had a hunch that one of my numbers was coming straight and put on my ticket the straight version as well - I remember the number too - 681 - I gave the slip to the clerk and he didn't put it in - I fault myself because I should have checked behind this Joker.  I lost 500. that day and it taught me a lesson. 

CHECK YOUR TICKETS

DEMAND THAT ALL YOUR LOSERS BE RETURNED TO YOU

And if they are not paying attention to your slip I would find someplace else to play or complain to the management. 

YOU are making a purchase just like those that are buying a bag of chips or gas and should demand the same respect.

I can't wait for them to make more self serve machines and make them easier to use.  As it is now its a pain to use the self serve machines with it going back to the menu and not letting you say with the pick 3.

I have one place near me that takes lotteries seriously, and they have two machines going all the time, its a mess parking there, but they are friendly, attentive and make sure your tickets are right.  Once I played a number there and Mike (Oh my God this MAN is a hunk!) gave me two tickets on that number - straight - and it came out.  They also give you promotional tickets that the Lottery Commission gives them that are suppose to go to customers, and this is the ONLY place I have ever played that gives those tickets out FREE.   I do get a little mixed up with Mike there, but its the only place to play.  If I run short of cash I can come back later and pay and they don't hold your tickets for ransom.

Never leave the ticket out of your hands.   It is like cash.   It's hard to get it back or proof that it was yours after you lose it.   What is with the recipt anyway, seems like an dumb and unnecessary step.

I agree.  If she was told not to come back, she must have gotten very excited and yelled at the manager.  I've been in a lot of Publix supermarkets and they are always polite, even when customers are not.

Hire an attorney for an $800 prize?  Are you joking?  The average cost for an attorney is $200 to $300 an hour!

This is bad news indeed. Let this unfortunate event taught everyone else its lesson...we can only hope. 

She should have known better! I hate when people play and don't even check their tickets or are careless with the tickets. I hate when people play and don't bother finding out what the basic rules are in the game. I can't tell you how many "scratch-offs" I've found in the garbage can inside the lottery store that where winners ($2-$10). For heavensakes, take some responsibiltiy and use some common sense if you are going to play.

Some people should never play the lottery and this woman is the head of the class..

Small Claims Court.

Something doesn't jive here. 

" She bought them earlier in the week and didn't even pay attention to what the numbers were. "

Then it says

Annie's son called to share the good news. "My son had called me and told me, 'Mom, you know that 3131 came', and I said, 'Uh uh, you joking'. He said, 'Yes it did, I'm looking at the print out right now,'" Annie said.

Did she call her son or did he call her?  If she didn't know what numbers she played, how would her son know she won?  Maybe it's just the way the article is written.

Anyway, I agree with Duckman.   If a ticket is validated but there is no payout, the Lottery should pay the bearer of the receipt and the continuation ticket if nobody else comes forward. 

Isn't a continuation ticket issued when you purchase advance plays and want to claim a prize?  I would have just waited. 

It's a poorly written story.......just cause it's in print it's just a poorly written story that is printed.....It does not flow.  I agree with justxploring................I have a copy machine it's a HP Deskjet F335......and when my ticket wins.....I make a copy of it..............winning .50 cents to 400 dollars........."Just in case" something "happens" to my ticket..........they are good people where I get my ticket......sometimes they don't have enough money........then I have to go to the "chain" grocery store.............to get the cash!

Here in NSW, players can register if they wish. If registered, prizes are mailed to winners. For large prizes, they call you with the good news, and arrange for you to come to a lottery office to collect. US state lotteries should give players the same option.

I'd be upset after winning $800 then forgetting to pick up the ticket after being scanned by the store guy.  Maybe she's not as broke as I am.

Young clerk?? The article says nothing of the clerk's age, for all we know they could have been someone your age, whatever age that might be, maybe older.

Anyway, she should have made sure right there she had everything, I'm sure the Publix has cameras set on the area so it'd be easy to tell, hope the manager enjoys the bad publicity from at least what was said in the story. Oh and I'd guess that her son knew the numbers that she routinely played since the article makes mention of her "ritual" of playing certain numbers.

A "continuation ticket" is a ticket which is issued when a person purchases a ticket for several draws in advance, and wins a prize before the entire draw range is completed, the lottery machine issues a ticket for the remainder of the time the ticket is valid.

I am sure that ticket wasn't thrown away and has already been cashed.

Let's not blame the victim.  Many people would not realize they need to keep the original ticket if given a receipt.  However, if she was a regular lottery player and knew she won over $600, why in the world did sheLclaim it at a supermarket?  In Florida you can't collect over $599 without going to a Florida Lottery office and the rules are very clear about that. 

As I wrote earlier, this story is very confusing.  Don't you get a receipt when you collect the money?  I've cashed in a small win for $100 and handed a receipt when the clerk paid me.  Why else would you get a receipt?  Please explain this to me.   To me the word receipt means that you got something.  If it's for the winning ticket, then it makes no sense that the Florida Lottery won't honor it without the original ticket.

I just saw on the news that Publix gave the woman the $800.00. GO FIGURE!!!!!! The lady looks like she was in her late 50 or early 60. I don't like the manager telling her not to come back there. It's just poor training on the part of the employee. For the store manager  to be demeaning to this woman, leaves an eye brow up for me!!! Everything is  on camera these DAYS.,they could easily match the  tickect  stamp time  and the employee to see what happen. A nasty store manager  and a poorly train employee!!!!! The Manager could have handle it much better then he did! ,If the lady 's family didn't go to the media ,she would just  have been S@@@ out of luck.

Publix cashiers  in north Fl are very pleasent with lotto players ,I have bought tickets for lotto clubs and will aiways go to Publix.Winning on a single play of more than 599 has to be done at a lotto office. a 1.00 box play on a play 4 with double (3131)number pays out 800.00 the publix clerk could not cash the ticket; she should have given the both ticket,verfication and continuation back to the player.The store manger may need to retrain his counter employees on lotto sales and sit in on the classes himself!!!!!

They give those in Ohio too.  They also will issue a "pay to bearer ticket" and a claim form if the prize is between $600 and $5000 to take to a local authorized bank to get your cash if you don't mind paying a $15 service fee to the bank (it saves a trip to the nearest lottery office which is 60 miles away in my case).

Nice to know she got her money.  Thanks for the update.

Nice of Publix to pay... That decision must have come from above the store level and looking to get some good publicity to counteract the bad they have gotten. As far as the women being asked to leave and not come back... not being there I have no comment. This woman may yet collect from the lottery also.

"whatever" is all I have to say to the lady that has no idea that she won

The small print on the back of each ticket explains where and how prizes over $599 will be paid out. Some people don't realize if a pick-4 number is a double/double, they should buy two 50 cent box tickets instead of one $1 ticket because the $1 box pays $800. Had she done that she probably could have cashed both 50 cent tickets at the same Publix.

Most state lotteries have the straight/box option on their play slips but by checking that box the prize goes over $5000 on a straight hit and winners might not be paid the same day. 

"If she played the lottery so much she should have read the rules about winning tickets over a certain amount."

It's possible the clerk didn't know the procedure for cashing a ticket worth $800. The last time I hit the pick-4 straight, the clerk didn't know she had claims forms for winning tickets from $599 to $5000 because she had never cashed a straight pick-4 winning ticket or any ticket over $599 even though she had worked there for over two years.

The only reason I said not to blame the woman or the clerk who scanned the ticket is that, in today's world of modern technology, the terminal should probably say  "return ticket to winner" or something similar.

I mean, if you cannot cash a ticket over $599 then why get a receipt at all?  I don't know why it doesn't just say "Prize payout exceeds limit.  Must be cashed at Lottery Office"  Maybe it does, but I've never been lucky enough to win that much!  Also, I know better, but we all make mistakes.  If there's someone here who doesn't I'd like to know because you're not human!

Bullcrap! "The ticket was accidentally thrown away"<<< Thats bullcrap! I believe the cashier kept the winning ticket after seeing it was the winner and lied by saying it was accidentally thrown it away. Why would they tell her never to come back to the store again, thats cold hearted and wrong why should she not be allowed back in the store if they are the jerks who made the mistake by throwing away her $800.00 winning lottery ticket and when you make a mistake YOU should pay so if this case were ever taken to court and I were the Judge I'd have the store owners  pay Annie the $800.00 for their own mistake that they made... Like I said before I dont think it was thrown away I believe the cashier kept the winning ticket and made up the story about accidentally throwing it away or else he wouldn't be acting so cold hearted by telling her not to come back to the store.If Annie still had the receipt for that winning ticket she should check the serial number on the ticket and ask lottery officials to ask if it has been cashed in and by whom. SHe should keep that receipt forever and constantly check with lottery officials to see if / when the ticket is ever cashed and if the ticket is later cashed in by the same cashier whos name they didnt want to give then criminal charges should definitely be filed.In new York there is a small machine/scanner in evey store in which the lottery customer can check to see if he/ her is a winner themselves. Sort of like a machine in a grocery store when you scan the item to check the price this machine is different.You can scan your lottery ticket to check if you are a winner instead. SImply scan the tickets barcode accross the red line under the machine and if it has won nothing the machine will tell the exact phrase " Sorry not a Winner". If you did win something the machine will tell you the exact amount you have won. I trust the machine because they are legit and I would never ask a cashier if I have won because of all the cases lately about them lying when asked if you've won something some cashiers have been known to say "no" and then keep the tickets themselves. I would just use the machine.

I also realize 3131 **STRAIGHT**and/or BOX     is the # I reccomended for SCANDAL. As I pointed out it's a $400.00 payout for .50 cents boxed. Any winning ticket $600 or UNDER can be cashed in at ANY Local lottery store.Some people will tell me why play .50 box and win $400.00 when you can play $1.00 box and win $800.00? I will tell them Listen if you play .50 cents box two times on seperate tickets it will cost a total of $1.00 to play. ( .50 cents + .50 cents = $1.00 ) . Each winning .50 cents boxed ticket will be worth $400.00 dollars cash if the winning # is a Double/Double like 5454.  Two winning tickets worth $400.00 each give you a TOTAL amount of $800.00 in winnings. Now play the same Number 3131 $1 box and you will also win the same amount $800. so you're better off playing exotic win - 4 numbers for .50 cents boxed multiple times on Seperate tickets. Of course when you cash in your $400.00 winner at one store , you will then have to walk to a different store that sells lottery and cash in your second winning ticket there because one store will not allow you to cash in both winning tickets there because it is too much cash from the register. Still i'd rather walk to different stores and pick up $400 from each store rather than  talk a trip down to the lotto office to get a check instead of cash. Crazy thing is I won The same exact amount Annie won on this same number. on October 30th 2008 I played 3131 .50 cents boxed two times on seperate tickets and also won $800. I walked to two stores and cashed in one winning ticket at each store for $400 each giving me a total of $800 cash on 10/30/2008. Check out this link here where I indicated .50 cents boxed pays $400. If you really want to have a huge cash payout then play the triple digit numbers in Pick 4. 50 cents. box on a triple like, 1116 wil pay $600. Play it 50.boxed 50 times on seperate tickets. If " 1116" is drawn in any oder you will walk to 50 stores and pick up $600 cash from each one of those stores. Pick up $600 cash 50 times and that will be a lot of cash.

 BTW" 1116" Boxed Is due for all states be sure to catch it this year .50 boxed for $600. The link below is where I indicated to play .50 box for $400.00, look under 2/12/09 Evening Draw Results

https://www.lotterypost.com/thread/182656/35

it sure does suck it dagum shame that Publix loss her ticket they are surely responsability. if they have receipt than  the lottery there need to pay that the fact!!

it sure does suck it dagum shame that Publix loss her ticket they are surely responsability. if they have receipt than  the lottery there need to pay that the fact!!

say what??????????

It'd be nice if someone caught that 1116 . 50 cents box 50 times on seperate tickets tonight in Ohio! It's still due boxed for most states " 1116", in addition to 1116 boxed I also like 6119 BOX

2/26/09

Ohio Evening Pick 4 :1161 BOX

My mistake 1161 Box was ohio MIDDAY Pick - 4 for 2/26/09

Oregon  got it today 1116 Box

2/28/09

Oregon pick 4 1 p.m. - 1611 BOX

Watch for other states to get it  this year too 6111 box