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.

 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

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?

Somehow losing tickets are never misprints. 

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.

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.

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 the symbol three times and you win..

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

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

   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.

"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 not be a winner, since the letters under the "1" obviously don't indicate that it should be a "1".

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!

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.

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!

Ticket # 13.

Husband passed away... 

Hmmm...

Throw that ticket away lady.

Burn it.

    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 full amount disclosed on the ticket 'misprint.'    In the case of the lottery, the players are buying the chance to win, and not the ticket itself, the ticket falls in and of itself under the jurisdiction and prudence of the Lottery Commission, if they messed up, they know have to accept the fact and not use senseless excuses that they are 'just human.'   A corporation and a business is not about being human, it's about being liable, and therefore, if only to assure future plays and current players that they can be assured their hopes count for something and won't be cheated because of lazy business practices, like ensuring each and every ticket is playable, paybale, and cashable, and hopefully winable.    Like when any insurance does the wrong thing people lose faith and stop playing or swtich over to something or someone else more responsible.   So maybe they should offer lottery insurance like Raven said, but that would just net them more profit and money, when they should be doing the right thing.   Otherwise, the government should just allow local lotteries, which would be easier to regulated and verify as accurate and rig-proof.    The ticket does say abide by all Lottery rules, but the Lottery needs to follow rules too, they are called Consumer Rights, if they don't,  they are irresponsible and/or run by completely incompetent folks who only get paid the big bucks to prey on peoples emotions that they might be the next winner, where is the talent in that?   When did chicanery get a 240K paycheck?    But when someone finally does win, and get their hands on something legitimate, bc the company made it that way, they turn from a flashy horse-toothed smile, to nothing more than canniving elves, therefore where is the American in this?   I don't see it.   What makes this Country so great is that Americans almost all of us, love to do the right thing, right from childhood, it's what makes us honest, dependable, dare I say adorable?   Anyway, this is not endearing if they do not pay up, especially with such ridiculous odds as they do offer, and with all the profit in money that goes in the billions that they make each year after year after year.   They are relying on people continuing to play no-matter what and that is wrong.   The premise is flawed and almost con-like, if they want any credibility what-so-ever, especially for future possibly defective tickets, then they have to eat this one and pay out the stated amount they themselves published, and what's more the lawyer is right, they never saw the ticket, so who's to say and how in the heck do they really know that the serial numbers don't match their records?   Maybe it's just the letters 'TH' that actually reads wrong, and they are shooting themselves in the foot and at the same time making a mockery of the players at the same time without even knowing it or caring to know, so therefore, I condone this 3-year-long outrageous tug-and-pull about who's wrong and who's right.  How is it possible that we have let our Government become so lazy and ridiculous, I mean they go to college these folks, right?    They campaign and campaign and campaign,  until we get them elected to give them the priviledge to screw us all over royally in any way which they can just to save fiscal year's money, or tax money, or to make money, which government is not in any business to do, and if they law won't protect us and the courts won't either, then the Government needs to back off from their endorsement of the Lottery, bc this just again proves that we are headed on the wrong path.   Governments have computers and armies and technologies, but they can't get their accountants to get things right.   Turbo-Tax Anyone?   Turbo-Accounting Anyone?   This is more than ridiculous and more than anyone should have to put up with, why is everyone always so ready to side-step their responsibilities and shrug off potential mistakes as just "oh well you know how it is sometimes" sort of deals?   Things have got to start changing and we are the ones that need to catalyze that change.   I am sending this to the Florida Lottery Commission and also to the Floridian Senator and House Representatives, there is too much money at stake for them to be playing around like this, too much profit.   Then again Congress is a mess, and so are our courts, and so is our legislative process and the bodies that represent them and us.   All the while, most Americans are too busy working their body to death to feed their families and pay the electric bill, and too busy trying to keep and hold a job, and trying to keep up with all the incompetence in government and the hassle of the media to really have to then put up with this colossal non-sense.   Where will this all end, Where will America end up in forty years if people don't speak up and DEMAND that Right be Done by Us.   By The Poeple, For The People,  not by the Governing Government for the Governing Elite, and if you love this country, Don't You EVER Forget That.  IT is our only hope.   That my friends, is the America that made Us Great, and we can't let bozzo's ruin it for the rest of us.

Give Me Transperancy or Get Outta Town!!!

taken 'in context' as pumpi would say, from Patrick Henry's famous line "Give me Liberty or Give me Death!!! 

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 disclaimer? Pay up.

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 them out of the batch or scrap that batch and start over! The state has no recourse but to pay the $500,000.00 (as a fine) to those people because the state is knowingly selling a defective product!

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

Pay Up Florida!

      Florida Lottery Officials !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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

Justxploring, you are too funny.

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

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

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

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.

Check this story instead.

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

 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 for all states right? or FL got a bad batch

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..

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 wonder why it has taken so long? Now Florida Lottery will probably say "oh they waited too long to claim the prize and the game is expired"

More power to this woman, I hope she gets every dime of her prize, the attorney fees, and then some. Shame on ANY lottery for even holding back like this, its not like they are hurting for the money. I am sure there are triple that amount in unclaimed prizes, plus, the bad publicity will hurt them in lost sales as well...

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 months after the last jackpot is sold, until we all said NO MORE!
I don't know about all of your tickets but CA tickets says "If your NUMBER matches the winning 'NUMBER" THEN YOU WIN.  It does not say anything about the letters underneath,  If they want to play hardball and specifics,  I'd say let their attorney play the specifics game too!  The misprint May have been the  TH and the missing  serial number. 

Okay let go this way  sue for the price of the ticket, and $500,00 for punitive damages for selling a defective ticket.  Its not like the purchasers could pick what ticket she buys,  and she definately couldnt have returned the "defective" ticket at the store after it was revealed as a true Loser.

I have said time and time again...
THE ODDS ARE STACKED HIGH ENOUGH AGAINST US.  WE DON'T NEED AN ADDITIONAL LOTTERY THUMB PRESSING DOWN ON THE SCALE!

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..

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 the New England area where a guy sue to get the money another guy claimed after finding a winning scratch-off ticket in the trash of a restaurant where he have bought a bunch of tickets and threw them into the trash.  He died and his son had to carry on the fight and I never did hear if the case was settled.

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.

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

you got that right......

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 printing company is some Governor's brother-in-law or a major campaign contributor.

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.

Florida need to pay ,scratchs off are rip off .

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".

Or a mailman..

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 because it is a grand prize winner the ticket was printed with the "TH" taking the place of the "One" that would appear in any other case (such as a losing ticket).  Meaning that the "TH" is REALLY a part of the F I V E H U N  T H  (Or whatever form they use to denote it) ..... In this case it is DEFINITELY adamant denial by the lottery officials....

I would like to hear some thoughts about this from other members, and I am VERY curious if their lawyers have considered this angle??

(Oh if someone already mentioned the same basic gist of my observation, please forgive me as I didn't read all the comments yet!) 

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 people knowing otherwise please chime in) that when a lottery scratch off ticket in this state (or at least for this particular game) is a GRAND prize winner, the lettering underneath the latex probably spells out "W I N", and in that case this was clearly intended to BE a WINNING ticket, and the ONLY snag then is the "TH" under the "1".  Since this is NOT tampering by the player, nor apparent noncompliance with the rules, the SOLE responsibility lies with the lottery IMO, and they should PAY UP!!!!!

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 handing out contracts to foreign country business for the sake of saving the american dollar, so your american tax money is alive and well in many a deal. the average american business makes 3-5% profit on contracted Govt bids, so you tell me where that falls under the IRS- can we say NON profit status?

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 actual winners then that ought to be worth something.

And the list could go one until everyone who played would win.

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.

"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 counter suing theContracted Print company."

I don't know how you'd run your business if you had one, but it's a pretty safe bet that the printing company is smart enough to have a contract that says their responsibility for printing errors is limited to fixing or replacing defective tickets.  It's a moot point anyway, because the law is very clearly on the side of the lottery. Their only obligation for a defective ticket is to refund the purchase price or replace the ticket with one that isn't defective.

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 being sold today. I guess it a good one for the lottery::::