You Found Some Lottery Tickets - Now What?Prev Topic Next Topic

New Topic New Poll

Let's say you found five unscratched $5 scratchers in front of a store. What would you do with them?

Give them to the store owner or clerk

[ 2 ]

[ 2.7% ]

Leave phone number so owner can call and identify

[ 6 ]

[ 8.0% ]

Scratch them and keep any money won

[ 57 ]

[ 76.0% ]

Scratch them and give any money won to charity

[ 2 ]

[ 2.7% ]

Other (explain)

[ 8 ]

[ 10.7% ]

Total valid votes

[ 75 ]

Discarded votes

[ 1 ]

rdgrnr

100

The Hall Of The Mountain Kings Tennessee
United States
Member #73,902
April 28, 2009
15,378 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 2:18 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Raven62 on Jun 7, 2011
Do the same thing you would want to happen if you were the one that lost the Tickets: Return them to the Person that Lost them!

I agree Raven but I think we're in the minority so far.

I wonder what the legal aspects are?

Like if it was a major winning ticket you found and tried to cash it in, would they check tapes to see if you purchased it and so forth?

And is it completely legal to cash in a lost ticket without trying to find the owner as long as it's not signed?
joker17

United States
Member #75,356
June 1, 2009
5,345 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 2:21 pm

Oh boy. I just got back from the store and checked my tickets here in Florida. I thought I made the deadline for the mid, but they're for tomorrow. The computer made them for tomorrow's mid instead of tonight. I always thought it went to the very next draw, not skip a draw.

Oh well, maybe Krama is at work....
OwlCreekBridge

lottoville
United States
Member #95,470
August 11, 2010
132 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 2:21 pm

I would leave the tickets right where I found them. There is a chance the owner might realize what happened and come back for them, besides even if they ended up being winning tickets, I personally couldn't picture myself living the high life with someone elses winnings.
joker17

United States
Member #75,356
June 1, 2009
5,345 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 2:23 pm

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Jun 7, 2011
I agree Raven but I think we're in the minority so far.

I wonder what the legal aspects are?

Like if it was a major winning ticket you found and tried to cash it in, would they check tapes to see if you purchased it and so forth?

And is it completely legal to cash in a lost ticket without trying to find the owner as long as it's not signed?

I'm sure the laws in each state are different, but that's why they always say to sign the back of the ticket. It's a Grizzly bearer instrument, so technically, whoever has it can claim it.
joker17

United States
Member #75,356
June 1, 2009
5,345 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 2:25 pm

Quote: Originally posted by OwlCreekBridge on Jun 7, 2011
I would leave the tickets right where I found them. There is a chance the owner might realize what happened and come back for them, besides even if they ended up being winning tickets, I personally couldn't picture myself living the high life with someone elses winnings.

That's all nice and dandy, but what if someone else picks them up?
rdgrnr

100

The Hall Of The Mountain Kings Tennessee
United States
Member #73,902
April 28, 2009
15,378 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 2:38 pm

Quote: Originally posted by joker17 on Jun 7, 2011
Oh boy. I just got back from the store and checked my tickets here in Florida. I thought I made the deadline for the mid, but they're for tomorrow. The computer made them for tomorrow's mid instead of tonight. I always thought it went to the very next draw, not skip a draw.

Oh well, maybe Krama is at work....

They only go to the next draw if you didn't mark mid or eve.

Learned that the hard way myself.
Raven62

25

New Jersey
United States
Member #17,842
June 28, 2005
180,983 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 2:45 pm

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Jun 7, 2011
I agree Raven but I think we're in the minority so far.

I wonder what the legal aspects are?

Like if it was a major winning ticket you found and tried to cash it in, would they check tapes to see if you purchased it and so forth?

And is it completely legal to cash in a lost ticket without trying to find the owner as long as it's not signed?

Makes You Wonder: What happened to the sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct!

Their are Laws Governing Lost Property! (See Previous Posts on Lost Lottery Tickets)

A mind once stretched by a new idea never returns to its original dimensions!

Catch-22: A dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.

Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges: When the republic is at its most corrupt the laws are most numerous.

The best way to learn is to never stop being an Experiential Student!
rdgrnr

100

The Hall Of The Mountain Kings Tennessee
United States
Member #73,902
April 28, 2009
15,378 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 2:49 pm

Quote: Originally posted by joker17 on Jun 7, 2011
That's all nice and dandy, but what if someone else picks them up?

If I did that (left them there), I would consider it to be out of my hands and any karma connected with their handling would be the reward or curse of whoever decided to do something with them.

I'm just not clear on whether it would be right or wrong to scratch them, (Personally, I wouldn't), and then what to do if they contained a major winner.
rdgrnr

100

The Hall Of The Mountain Kings Tennessee
United States
Member #73,902
April 28, 2009
15,378 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 2:52 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Raven62 on Jun 7, 2011
Makes You Wonder: What happened to the sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct!

Their are Laws Governing Lost Property! (See Previous Posts on Lost Lottery Tickets)

That's exactly what I'm talking about.

Even if you don't sign the ticket; is it still your property, though lost?
rdgrnr

100

The Hall Of The Mountain Kings Tennessee
United States
Member #73,902
April 28, 2009
15,378 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 3:07 pm

Quote: Originally posted by OwlCreekBridge on Jun 7, 2011
I would leave the tickets right where I found them. There is a chance the owner might realize what happened and come back for them, besides even if they ended up being winning tickets, I personally couldn't picture myself living the high life with someone elses winnings.

I like that answer too, Owl.

I should have put it as an option in the poll.
GiveFive

Florida - West Coast
United States
Member #92,605
June 10, 2010
6,580 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 3:12 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Raven62 on Jun 7, 2011
Do the same thing you would want to happen if you were the one that lost the Tickets: Return them to the Person that Lost them!

Return them to the person that lost them? That's not going to be easy. I think it's a little more likely that the person who lost them has a better chance of finding the person who found them, and that's if the guy who lost them tells somebody he lost them, and if the guy who found them tells someone he found some tickets.

If either party doesnt say anything to anybody, all bets are off.

Play Smart!
surimaribo24

NEW YORK. RIVERHEAD
United States
Member #106,366
February 17, 2011
9,716 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 3:53 pm

well i look at this both ways. if i would see and knew who dropped it then no doubt i would aware them . beside that no way i would give it to the store clerk . do you really think they would keep it aside . go figure all those story we read about lotto clerks. i would simply pick it up scracht it and consider it as my lucky day and it was meant to be for me . is all about little bit of luck .
ttech10

Texas
United States
Member #92,326
June 5, 2010
887 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 4:18 pm

I would likely keep them. As mentioned earlier, maybe it's karma getting you back for something good you did good earlier. If it was a small winner I would claim it and if it was a major winner I would have some serious thinking to do.

I don't believe they would check cameras or anything if you won on a scratchoff, though they may if it's a major jackpot in a ball game. You could probably contact a lawyer and tell him the situation and from that you could know whether you could claim them without any major issues or if the best course was to try and find the true winner. I think you could still legally claim the ticket though, as the ticket is a bearer instrument and your name would be on it, plus the lottery isn't responsible for lost tickets and it's not like you stole them. The biggest issue in question would be your consience.

This is the reason I put the tickets in my back left pocket even before I leave the counter. I don't want to risk losing tickets and having them be a major winner. If this happened to a ticket that I had lost and somebody turned in I would really consider donating a good amount to them for being an honest person.
OwlCreekBridge

lottoville
United States
Member #95,470
August 11, 2010
132 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 4:28 pm

Quote: Originally posted by joker17 on Jun 7, 2011
That's all nice and dandy, but what if someone else picks them up?

If anyone else besides the owner finds the tickets, then they will have to make the choice for themselves. I don't think anyone can fault them legally if they decide to keep the tickets, especially if there is no name on the tickets but just speaking for myself, I wouldn't be able to enjoy any of the money if I won. Call me self-richeous but I wouldn't feel right.

No one is perfect and I'm sure everyone here has lost or will lose a ticket at some point. I think the last thing anyone would want is for someone else to find their ticket and then claim the winnings for themselves.
Wooddrive

Delco PA
United States
Member #80,102
September 16, 2009
194 Posts
Offline

Jun 7, 2011, 4:39 pm

I agree, keep the tickets. regardless of the fact, that they are most likely losers anyway.

as for karma, what a laffer, theres no such thing. its just our values that are tugging at us.

yesterday I bought some pick3 tix and was handed the previous players pick3 also with my pile by mistake. well, the player came back to the store and asked the clerk where his pick3 tixs were. I checked my pile and I had them, while they were unknowningly checking the history. I handed the guy his tixs and explained, the clerk must have given it to me by mistake. well, i saw his numbers. he didnt win. guess what else, I didnt win. karma, lol.

Joker, if u come across $400 with no id, now u know what to do.... call me and we'll split it, lol

New Topic New Poll

Subscribe to this topic

You Found Some Lottery Tickets - Now What?Prev TopicNext Topic

You Found Some Lottery Tickets - Now What?Prev Topic Next Topic