Includes video report
STAMFORD, Conn. — Someone in Connecticut bought a lottery ticket worth $254 million — but, so far, nobody knows who it is.
Powerball officials say someone in Fairfield County bought a Powerball ticket matching all six winning numbers — 12, 14, 34, 39, 46, and 36. Local rumor has it that the ticket was sold at Belltown Superette in Stamford, a store with a reputation for selling winning tickets.
"My grandfather right here, number 29. He played my aunt's ... that's my aunt's birthday. He won $1 million," Alexis Nanos told ABC News affiliate WTNH-TV in New Haven.
Now there's a rather strange new twist in the case of the winning Powerball Lottery ticket. The owner of a convenience store says a man came in claiming to have bought the winning numbers.
There's just one problem and it's a big problem — he says lost the ticket.
The man says he bought the ticket at Belltown Superette in Stamford.
"He said it's his number, but he can't find the ticket lost ticket, so I don't know what to say. (How upset was he?) A little upset," said Suni Patel, the owner of the store.
She says that the man works for the Stamford Sanitation Department. He claims he bought the ticket and has the winning numbers, but he just doesn't have the ticket.
Whether it's true or not the lottery business is suddenly booming for Ms. Patel and her husband's store.
As for the mystery millionaire 254 times over, Suni is optimistic. She has to be — she would get a commission.
"I hope he can find it, believe me," Patel said.
If the guy who says he lost the winning ticket actually bought the winning ticket, he has six months to file a claim, but he's got to prove he bought it.
Oh mr. patel is up to his usual shenanigans again. anything to boost business.
Hummm, you would think people would apply more care to their tickets, especially one of this worth. We all make mistakes, have bad days, but this is a real "blooper".
I wish he could find it soon.Otherwise he could find it difficult to leave with himself!,he should find it under the sofa,in the drawer and under the wardrobe! Good Luck to him I feel sorry for him.
I wonder if he remembered to sign the back of it before he "lost" it.
Am I alowed to call him a dumba$$ ?
Time will tell if he did or not ----mmmmmmmmm?????
"A little upset," said Suni Patel, the owner of the store."
Every time I read a story of something strange about a lottery ticket the name Patel is in the article. Has the Patel family taken over the U.S. convenient store business or is this another weird coincidence?
Personally, I think the ticket loser and Mr. Patel have been sniffing to much cow gas...!
Now that they've gotten their "15" minutes of fame, Whats next ?.
I certainly wouldn't be broadcasting that I lost my ticket. Now it is "Hunt On!" That is... if this person is the true ticket holder and not a copycat of the lady in Ohio several years back who tried to claim that she lost her ticket. (back in Dec 2003)
"An Ohio woman who claims to have lost the winning ticket in last month's $162 million Mega Millions lottery was convicted of misusing a credit card while working at a Cleveland-area drugstore five years ago, court records show.
Elecia Battle has asked a Cuyahoga County judge to stop Ohio lottery officials from paying Rebecca Jemison, the declared winner of the multi-state drawing on December 30.
Battle says she lost her winning lottery ticket when she dropped her purse outside the store in the Cleveland suburb of South Euclid."
Chaos, excellent point, probably not..
"proving that he bought the ticket" is way different then actually having the printed ticket. It was my understanding that you had to have the actual ticket, have it validated and then it would be decided if its a legitimate ticket. That is not the same as proving he bought it.
ANyone can BUY a ticket for someone else...
Does MUSL rules have this regulation for all states---No ticket No win.
ooo boy Ridge will have something good for this one .
and this what you have to do when you see a PATEL is involved with lotterys .
People claiming they bought a winning ticket seems to be a commonplace event. Some of them probably really believe it, and some of them are probably just hoping that it won't be claimed by somebody else and they'll manage a story that's convincing enough.
If the guy said they "were his numbers" that might mean he plays those numbers regularly. If that's true he may have tickets from previous drawings with those numbers, and having them will be very good evidence, especially if they were bought at the store that sold the winner. If he doesn't have old tickets he still may be able to tell where and when he has played those numbers before and may have a credit card receipt that coincides with the time and place of a purchase.
As for the specific rules on claiming prizes, I expect it's up to the state to decide. In NY you need to pay a fee to try and claim without a ticket. IIRC it's $100, or perhaps $150. That should eliminate most of the frivoulous claims, and cover the cost of a preliminary investigation that will weed out most false claims quickly.
Namegirl, your right, at least here in New York state, you have to have the ticket..
I thought it was a Qp that won...I'll have to check on that.
As to someone using past tickets as proof of play...that seems shady at best. I wouldnt grant someone 254 million simply because they showed me that in the "past" history of plays they happened to play that set....Its the actual date and actual ticket that needs to be produced...end of story. ( except we have six months to find out if it even gets claimed.)
I cringe when I see the "Patel" name...is that like the name Smith or Jones in America?
Here in New York, they can tell exactly where the ticket was bought. TIm sure most states can detect that.
I, too, have a hard time understanding why people buy tickets, then not treat them with care (or even bother to check them).
If the ticket truly is lost and no one claims it, does the full prize amount go to the State of Connecticut?
I'd like to see unclaimed prizes rolled into a "special drawing" once or twice a year, rather than be totally forfeited to the "winning" State.
If this guy's legit, he'll hire an attorney who will try to get CTL to review his evidence (the store tape, time of purchase, etc) and declare him the winner - - - but that's not gonna happen.
Most states consider lottery tickets bearer instruments which means as long as that ticket is out there - anyone who finds it can sign the back, turn it in, and rightfully collect the money. There's no way CTL is gonna give him the money without that ticket!!!
TNFirecracker, I believe the money goes right back to the lottery itself. You have a great idea about a "special drawing" once or twice a year.
This guy is the true definition of a krotchwaffle...GradeA at that.
I never did get how careless alot of people get with tickets in general.I've known many to stash them on the side of the console in their car only to have them end up under the seat and long forgotten.Why even play if you have that much disregard for a potential winning ticket.
krotchwaffle, LOL,, Yes, an expired "pop tart"....
*sniffs*
What kind of idiot lose a $245 million dollar ticket!
I had to say something, I don't think he had the ticket. If he played the tickets he would have the bet slip with the numbers on it. BTW you are suppose to sign your tickets. I don't know, but I don't believe him.
if he really bought the ticket and lost it or misplaced then you are in a big problem,better go home and look very carefully you got 6 months to find it , or else say goodbye to 254million dollars
There was a story posted here some time back where a guy tried to sign his ticket using his computer printer and the ticket was mutilated in the printer.
According to the story, the Lottery Commission was able to read the information on the mutilated ticket and what the average lottery player does not realize is the Lottery Commission can even track the roll of paper the winning ticket was printed on, what store was in possession of the roll of paper, the exact time (down to the second) and date of the winning sale, what lottery combination was printed before and after the winning ticket was purchased, etc.........
So, if there is any untruths happening here, the Lottery Commission will know.
People are very careless.
Careless with lottery tickets.
Careless with money.
Careless with children.
Careless with keys.
Careless-careless-careless.
Why, IMO, because the carelessness was reinforced over a period of time by the people in their lives. Now, it is part of their genetic makeup and the carelessness is handed down from generation to generation until someone breaks the cycle.
Here in TX, the lottery tickets are printed on thermal paper.
Ask yourself how many lottery players in TX have lost out on cashing in a winning ticket because their ticket was destroyed from heat exposure.
I am no exception to being careless. There are many times I have misplaced tickets. Why, because I broke routine. So now the rule of the house is, "No tickets are to be scratched until we are in our home. All winning tickets go in drawer #1 and all losing tickets go in drawer #5. The losing tickets are to be checked and rechecked for a 6 mos. period, just in case a ticket was misread."
After reading this story I am implementing a new rule in my house.
Whenever any lottery tickets are purchased, we are to get a printed receipt with the ticket serial numbers on it.
If the store refuses then we will no longer purchase tickets there, unless we use the self service machine.
That way if we ever find ourselves in this position, we would at least have undeniable proof of our purchase.
It all depends on whether he filled out a betslip or bought a block of numbers with quick picks. I can't recall if the winner was a quick pick or self-selected.
If he indeed filled out a slip that has the numbers he played, he may be able to prove his case. Of course he would have to have more than one set of numbers on that slip. Then again the ticket is a bearer instrument. But being able to show that he purchased several picks on one ticket may give him a better chance. The lottery could always look that up. If he has this I would take the chance of hiring a lawyer.
I do echo what others have said. Who would be so careless to lose a $254 million ticket?
Absolutely tickets can be destroyed by heat. Last year I left my wallet in my pants when I washed them. Rather then dry all my papers under a lamp for several hours I decided to dry them in the microwave.
Well, that worked fine for everything including money, except for the pick 3 ticket which partially burned up. I went back to the store with my still wet wallet and told them what happened.
Fortunately, they were able to read the serial number and typed it into the computer and were able to cash it for the $80 even though I could not clearly make out the played number.
I have also lost an an $80 box winner. I was never completely sure if I lost it at home, or left it at the store with my tickets on the counter, or if I just forgot to take them with me while I was cashing a winner. I could not imagine losing a jackpot winner.
If he has a playslip with the other numbers on it, and the other tickets he bought showing the sequence, and the stores video showing him buying the tickets, he may have a chance. The tickets have the date, time and machine number that printed the ticket on the front. All tickets also have a number on the back showing the sequence on the roll of paper. If someone else cashes it, that would prove he lost it.
However, the other person who finds it could claim that it is a bearer instrument, so basically it would be finders keepers. This is assuming some one else finds it. Unless he signed the back of it before he lost it. For his sake I hope he finds it.
some of them have other jobs.
there's a lot of them at the hotel i work at.
and my postal carrier is named patel.
to bad so sad, i have no lost feelings for people who claim or really did a lose a ticket
these people are dumb, just plain and simple
i have allmy tickets form past year, in 1 room, why, if i win anything, i can take losers,and write them off, as i have "proof" of losers. to many people buy lottery tickets and "lose" them
i just wish a unclaimed jackpot prize pool that goes unclaimed , would atfer 1 year or whatever deline is for each state, would then Be put back itno next full drawing
as we players builded the jackpot with out cash, we deserve a winner, and not lottery claiming winner money for them selfs cease a idiot won.............
Sorry to hear that this guy lost his ticket!!! But what i want to no is WHY when the powerball and the mega million get up to a big pot WHY do georgia take it out of the state i mean give georgia a chance WE play to JUST WANT TO NO WHY.
"My grandfather right here, number 29. He played my aunt's ... that's my aunt's birthday. He won $1 million," Alexis Nanos told ABC News affiliate WTNH-TV
The owner of a convenience store says a man came in claiming to have bought the winning numbers.
Noticed neither claim was made where it counts at the lottery commission office.
In my case, I buy tickets just about every day and am normally very well organized. It happened. Oh, well. My mess up.
If you do save your losing tickets, you may need more than just the losing tickets to offset taxes. Anyone can collect losing tickets from friends, co- workers etc. You need to keep a detailed record of what you spent, when you spent it, where you spent it, and having receipts would better yet. The I.R.S. wants receipts for every thing else, why would gambling loses be any different?
Any sensible person who had such a misplacement wouldn't immediately announce it.
This guy hasn't lost anything other than his meds.
He'll figure it out, once everyone he knows and plenty of unsavory people that he doesn't know show up at his home to "help" with a search.
Meanwhile, the real winner and the rest of us can have a chuckle.
It's gonna be real interesting when someone does show up with that ticket.
personally, i can't see an adult or anyone for that matter, going to a store purchasing a ticket with hopes of winning not protecting the ticket. come one the purpose of playing the game is to win...or am i missing something
I am here in nc and everytime i buy a lottery ticket in many stores, i buy it from a Patel. There is something to the madness.
The U.S. Government...
This CT case is just bizarre. In thes times of economic hardship, people can be so desperate that they become dilusional.
I hope the guy who claims he lost his ticket is not setting himself up to sue the real ticket owner. I hope the real ticket buyer
bought his ticket in a store that has cameras. If he did then the barcode info on the ticket would tell the date and time the
ticket was bought and the camera would confirm the identity.
i thought all the stores have cameras.
if not required they should be.
Do a google search for Patel. Interesting.
grwurston, i see the irs gots you running what if's in your head
the lottery tickets are the Receipts bro, LOL
even more so for powerball,mm etc tickets, as they come with a time and date, what else you want, video proof of store video of me buying them
would me recording on my iphone of tickets do it for Ya?
when you win , your ticket is your receipt . you give to them to get your prize
when you lose,yet are taxed on any big win, , you give irs. state, whoever proof of your lost via your receipt" your ticket "
i have never ever seen someone ask for a receipt of a lottery ticket, cease the <snip> ticket is the receipt, and is must detailed record you got of your lost.
And that's just some of what's shown in plain text.
The lottery knows more about the ticket than the average person buying one.
You don't have to believe me, go to the irs website and check out publication 529. Then click on index at the bottom. If you were to claim gambling loses on your taxes and you were to be audited they're gonna want to see records.
BTW it's on page 12.
I do not see how someone could be so careless. I read all my tickets before I leave the store which is Circle K here in mcminnville oregon then fold the ticket and put it in my wallet. The ticket never leaves my wallet until it is time to check it after the drawing takes place. I feel sorry for someone like that because you have to be very stupid to misplace $254.2 million.-weshar75
First, American state lotteries should allow players to register if they wish. In NSW, lottery players have the option of registering. They get a card, which they present when they buy tickets. If a ticket is lost or stolen they can prove ownership, as it is registered to them. Also, it they forget to check a ticket and it wins a prize, the lottery will contact them, for small prizes a check will be mailed to them. Players can still play unregistered is they want, but if they lose the ticket, it will be much harder to prove ownership.
Second, this highlights the advantage of playing by subscription. If you win, they contact you, and again small prizes are mailed; very small prizes are credited to your account to be used on renewal.
The Ticket, is the Record
can i make it anymore clear?
the ticket itself is receipt
if you walk out of the store without a receipt when you make a lottery purchase
you can't be arrested, cease the ticket is the receipt
when you walk into lottery HQ to claim your money, , you show them your ticket, and they hand you the cash
, now i understand why such people are self confused by this, with your logic being , if i can read right, this:
"you have to prove that you had actually spent your money on those losing tickets, not just show them the tickets"
the thing is, the proof is losing tickets, you can go ask Massachusetts Department of Revenue people how claiming having losing tickets is not proof, worked out for them in battle of trying to claim losing tickets is not proof
"spoiler it didn't work out for the idiots in state"
however such insane logic they may and others such as your self may have of losing tickets being proof or not
, is speculation only, if i have losing ticket, my proof then is above and beyond irs or anyone speculation to matter.
now i know off top of my head how much i spend a year on lottery and other things , i have a budget, others may call it a "log book" even. and i have losing tickets
if your irs, or the state, and i won money that year that you try to tax with no right off's allowed
ay my losing tickets is not proof, you fail so hard. just like the idiots in Department of Revenue of Massachusetts have.
only time will tell I guess
Now what kind of person, knowing that the prize is > 254millions would not protect his ticket?
I mean holy cow! (no offense to anyone of Hindu ilk)
How the heck could you do that? Well, I guess there's no living vicariously this time around.
If it's true, he's hurting, along with everyone else affected by his wi. . .uh loss?. . . . for the time being.
Well, he's got 6 mos. I personally hope he did lose it, since he didn't keep it in his shirt pocket, like
I do. . I can always put my hand . . . . . . hey ! my ticket's gone ! !
Just read this in another article:
The sanitation worker who allegedly lost the ticket, a 51-year-old West Side resident, has been searching through the garbage to find it;
He's not sure when he bought the ticket, what any of the numbers were and, since he couldn’t produce the ticket, he couldn’t definitively say he had won for sure;
He said friends told him he won but wouldn't say how they knew.
Source: http://blog.stamfordadvocate.com/stamford411/2011/11/05/the-254-million-story/
I don't think this is an intentional hoax - this guy just sounds like he doesn't have a clue. Hopefully, the real winner will turn in the winning ticket and put an end to this nonsense!
The CT lottery webpage still only confirms that the winning ticket was bought in Fairfield County.
It sounds like the sanitation worker story could be a hoax (the Stamford Advocate blog story definitely makes it sound that way - but I don't see why the lottery official quoted in the blog would say they could only confirm Fairfield County - I'm sure they could confirm which store and time it was purchased). If it's not a hoax, I feel sorry for him that he can't find the ticket. It's easy to question how you can misplace an item worth so much, but before the drawing, it was merely a slip of paper with potential. I know I've misplaced more things than I care to admit. Had more of my stuff misplaced for me. That said, I keep all my purchased tickets in one place. And not in my wallet. What if I'm mugged? Doesn't much matter if I signed them or not if they're stolen and discarded down some gutter. If they end up losers, I keep them in another place. I have to say, I keep the losers more to remind myself why I don't go crazy buying any more tickets when the prizes climb than I keep them to offset any big wins I might get.
Isn't it the same man that said the world was going to end last year?
No wait!!
Its the same man that said he was picked up by a space ship and 'examined' by men from outerspace?
Wait a minute......I got it!! He's the guy that stands on the corner downtown screaming that George Washington slept with his wife and he wants a divorce.
I can't figure this one out.
But I do know he's either really crazy or a BIG FAT LIER.
I wonder if they're going to return the 254 million steak prize if no one can claim it?
180 days to claim a jackpot prize in CT. Right now the winner only has 175 days left if by that time the prize is not claimed we might have a special drawing event. No ticket no price, that is the rule here in NYS, but I don't know how things work in CT. I know in NYS you have one year to claim it, but nobody will wait that long.
I hope that someone else has the real ticket !!!!!!!
Hahahahahahahahhahaha!!!!
Oh my goodness, I can't stop laughing. What a buffoon! If this person is that much of a moron to lose his ticket, he didn't deserve to win in the first place....
I will continue laughing now....hahahahahaha.......,
Connecticut Lottery says that the winning ticket was sold in Fairfield County. No specific municipality is mentioned.
I tossed away my past tickets already...
I hope the real ticket holder shows up and not a delusional fellow. However, if this fellow really bought the ticket AND lost it, too bad! Many were hoping for a win and would have guarded the ticket with their lives, he saw no value in it so, he lost it. No sympathies for him, sorry. He better finds the ticket before time is up, if not, loosers-weepers.
May I say...
OK...i live in the Bronx ,NEW YORK here..actually City Island ..I buy my tickets around the Bronx area .Put the tickets in my wallet and when i get home i put the tickets in little safe hiding spot that only i know..I have never lost a ticket yet...and at 245 but then it went to 254.9 million at the end ..i was standing right next to my hiding spot till the numbers came up on the lottery post...so ..even at 254.9 its not like its a 50 cents off coupon...I just can,t understand this..if this is the way he treats the ticket hows he going to treat the money..maybe just one more tv show about the lottery curse.
The guy says he works for Stamford Sanitation Department.If this is true that he did buy that winning $254 million lottery ticket.He must have put that ticket in his back pocket like a dirty rag.Just a bad habit.You never know.
He's just an idiot looking for his 15 minutes of fame.Time to move on.
This story is simple a hoax. The real winner or winners are bidding their time and getting a trusting atorney. Only idiots claim a jackpot of that size right away. The real winner might be working a regular job and excited because he or she is about to give a two weeks notice. A smart person won't give a two weeks notice right away because snakes at work might suspect something. A jackpot of this size will attract a lot of snakes so to me the winner is planning careful.
The garbage man probably won the third prize in CT which was 4 numbers plus the ball =10,000.
Phew! I found the ticket in my washing machine. Everyone can carry on.
Ain't that the truth.
The Connecticut Lottery is adding fuel to the fire by not announcing exactly what store sold the winning ticket. Other States, like NJ, make that announcement right away - don't understand why CT doesn't do the same! They'll only say it was sold in Fairfield County - makes no sense to me!
Because this guy is full of <snip>!
Do you think they are making it too hard for those folks trying to make a false claim? All that information is on the winning ticket and the real winner will know that even if he doesn't understand the codes on the ticket.
Check the security cameras. Doesn't matter anyway if you lost it that is your problem. You should be treating it like it is $250 million from the start.
That's terrible that the winning ticket was lost. I hope the ticket gets claimed before it expires.
this story stinks!.
I'm sure whoever won in CT is biding their time and consulting with advisors before claiming their prize, but there's still an unclaimed Powerball jackpot from GA on June 29... so I went looking for what really happens to unclaimed prizes. Here's the FAQ from the Powerball website:
WHAT HAPPENS TO UNCLAIMED PRIZES?
Except for the jackpot (and the BONUS prize whenever it is in effect), all unclaimed prizes are kept by the lottery jurisdiction that has the winner. About half of the lotteries are required to put the money back into a game. The other half is required by law to turn the money over to the state's general fund. The jackpot money and BONUS prize pool are treated differently. If these two prize pools are unclaimed, The money must be returned back to all lotteries, in proportion to their sales for the draw run. The lotteries then distribute the money as they are required by law - back into other lottery games or back to the state's general fund.
Starr920, hell i wish my state did that, make my future winner life even harder to spot.
pack any store in county. i could of got my tickets anywhere, LOL.
also, its epic funny to me
why you ask , is simple.
everyone in the County, who got their tickets for that draw, , but not checked yet, hear's the news and , RUSH'S to go check their tickets, , going OMFG i might have won!!!!!! and they see the ticket, "major letdown"
i love it, keep dream crushing up connecticut Rofl.
i know my worst nitemare, is someone at my local kroger where i play my tickets, wins, and i didn't check tickets, so i be going, OMFG no way, rush's across house, get my tickets, rush's back to computor to check , and none match
this would be me at that point.:
and to VAHopeful, ya its a shame all states keep a powerball,mega millions jackpot unclaimed to them selfs
i feell the only right to do at that point of no claimer, is to put the cash that's been sitting their 6 months to 1 year, with no winner, back into next full drawing of said jackpot game , that is add it to prize pool of current jackpot.
and they can keep the interest anyway for them selfs at least.
we builded jackpot up with our money, , we public deserve a winner, not lottery keeping our cash and winning their own lottery, just cease some idiot"or unlucky beep" buyed a ticket and never claimed.
Unclaimed Jackpots should be put into the very next Jackpot after the time limit for claiming expires.
Or used to increase secondary prizes until it's used up.
It should never be put into one state's general fund - that's not what the people bought the tickets for.
This is a big win for uconn if no one goes on to claim the jackpot. I would like to see the jackpots also go back to the players the whole jackpot in some form of prizes or adding it to the jackpot run after the ticket expires not give that much money to politicians in uconn to do whatever they want in the general fund of the state.-weshar75
you forgot about package store owners.
ridge buddy i was wondering when u were gonna chime in. don't tell me the backwoods lost power like we did here in conn.
Nah, not now but we lose power pretty regular here. Goes off for a minute or so at least once or twice a day. Sugarbritches can reset the clocks faster than a rat can cross a roof with a piece of raw liver in his mouth but she's gettin' tired of it, I'm here to testify.
We lose it for days sometimes in the winter when the trees commence to comin' down with the snow. That's when I play Tennessee Chainsaw Massacre. I got a mask like the skin mask the guy wore in the movie, scares the hell out of the McNutt's down the mountain.
yes,i'll have to ask the package store owners if any of their ppl. work at the hotel.
some states i lived in used to do this.
i think ?
pa.?
ca?
anyone remember?
The Connecticut lottery doesn't announce the exact location because they're smarter than the idiots in charge of security (or the idiots who don't listen to them) at other lotteries. If there's every any dispute over ownership knowing where and when the ticket was bought is very significant. In this particular case it's possible that the guy is the legitimate owner and somebody else will find the ticket and try to claim the prize. Assuming he's the legitimate owner, he made a major mistake in saying where he bought the ticket, because if somebody finds it they also know where it was bought. Of course there may be other useful detail that only the owner would know, such as buying tickets for a different game at the same time.
Unclaimed Jackpots should be put into the very next Jackpot after the time limit for claiming expires".
Sounds like a pretty good idea..
= = = = = =
Hope the real-winner (finds the tkt ?) comes forward ... kuz that'd be one hell'of'a FAIL !! Yixe -
Rdgrn, I don't know who you think ,thinks you're a hill billy
.A hill billy can't speak or write as well as you, you might be something else but hill billy isn't it, I notice things like that. This man have to be sick if he really lost this jackpot! my condolences to him.
Well thank you, Louise.
This is heartening news after being called an ignorant, uneducated, poor white trash bigot by Tenaj the other day in the Blogs.
I was feeling pretty downtrodden after that, as I'm sure you can well imagine.
But I was nice to her anyway.
I even corrected all her misspelled words, poor sentence structure, grammatical errors, mixed metaphors, dangling participles and lack of proper punctuation for her.
I'm sure she was just having a bad day.
You bring up a very valid point in him (guy that lost ticket) finding previous tickets with the same set of numbers. Without it, I believe he is just full of it...just like alicia battles from Ohio a few years back.
Like i said in another post....This guy is full of donkey dust....Just a gut feeling...
I've heard the lottery can be pretty strict about people who take the winning tickets of others. Someone who finds (steals) a jackpot-winning ticket can always be sued for the money if someone else tries to claim it when they weren't the one that purchased it. There are security cameras and they can be traced back to the exact time the ticket was bought I'd imagine.
However, it is irresponsible for someone to lose a ticket like this. I always put my tickets in a special binder and sign them. I always scan tickets and save all tickets for future second chance drawings if they happen to arise (sometimes they do randomly and if you throw out your tickets, you can't enter). I think that there should be a reward offered for the ticket if someone gives it back to him.
If I were a lottery director I would have a way for people to get player's cards that can be scanned every time they buy lottery to review their transactions online and include their ticket numbers in case the tickets were ever lost as additional proof of purchase.
I love playing the lottery!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Closest I have gotten its 5/6 numbers in Ohio Classic Lotto for the 47.1 Million Dollar drawing on 9/28/11. So close!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Note: I got 3/6 #'s in this 245 million powerball drawing. Not bad...ALWAYS TRY!!! But don't overextend yourself on powerball..the odds are not fair. It also would seem better to play less numbers, but always to powerplay because the odds of winning a million are a bit easier!!
That's an interesting point you brought up about people cashing other people's tickets.
The lotteries always say to sign your tickets because they are bearer instruments and can be cashed by anybody if they aren't signed.
That's always made me wonder if you find a ticket on the ground is it then yours the same as when you find a dollar on the ground, and if not, what are you supposed to do with it?
They make it sound like it is yours to cash in when they call it a bearer instrument.
"They make it sound like it is yours to cash in when they call it a bearer instrument."
Only to those who don't understand what bearer instrument actually means. "Bearer instrument" is simply a term that differentiates unregistered financial instruments from registered financial instruments. A bearer instrument is like any other property for which ownership isn't registered, such as an expensive necklace. I don't think anyone here is stupid enough to think that the rightful owner of a lottery ticket loses ownership if the ticket is stolen, but a lot of people can't see beyond that two word phrase when the ticket is lost instead of stolen.
The law in all civilized areas is very clear on ownership of lost property, whether it's a lottery ticket, cash, or an expensive necklace. The property only becomes yours after making a legitimate effort to locate the rightful owner, waiting for the period required, and complying with any other requirements of the applicable law. Technically the law applies whether you find a dollar or a lottery ticket worth 254 million dollars. As a practical matter the effort required for locating the owner of something with a small value outweights the value, so there's extremely little legal risk in simply keeping it.
"I don't think anyone here is stupid enough to think that the rightful owner of a lottery ticket loses ownership if the ticket is stolen..."
Yeah right, tell that to Willis Willis and the Texas Lottery Commission.
You might find Willis in Katmandu looking for the money that he didn't lose ownership of because the Texas Lottery told him he did lose ownership of it when they paid the bearer who promptly jetted for Katmandu.
So what's your point? That if you lose something or have it stolen you don't always get it back? That's why it's a good idea to be careful with your valuables.
My point is exactly what I originally said, that the Lottery people say the ticket is a Bearer Instrument which can be cashed in by anybody if it's not signed.
Willis Willis' claims of ownership didn't mean anything to the Texas Lottery. He signed the ticket and they paid him.
Ownership, Schmownership, if Punjab Patel from the 7-11 is in Katmandu with your money, you don't own jack.
All this Patel paranoia is pathetic.
Where did I put the DAM TICKET $$$$$ + $ ???????
U can call me an a American hillbilly & I won't CARE !!!!
Where'$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that TICKET?
Come on now gimmie that DAM TICKET BACK
This guy is feeling really down and out right now.Can you imagine what he'll be feeling when he finds the $254 million dollar PowerBall ticket after the 180 days are up.The rules are the rules!.
"The law in all civilized areas is very clear on ownership of lost property, whether it's a lottery ticket, cash, or an expensive necklace."
Yesterday when I got out my car to buy some gas a quarter was laying on ground. Where I can find the law that clearly explains what I should do with the quarter?
Try looking here: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=lost+property+laws
"That's always made me wonder if you find a ticket on the ground is it then yours the same as when you find a dollar on the ground, and if not, what are you supposed to do with it?"
I have no idea how many lottery tickets I've cashed through the years, but not once have they asked me to prove I bought the tickets. And the same is true when I found a quarter, dime, nickel, penny, or even a twenty on the ground; we're never asked to prove ownership when spending money. The value of a found or bought lottery ticket is the price of the ticket before the drawing. After the drawing the ticket could be worthless or worth several million dollars.
The real question when finding lottery tickets is "are they lost or discarded?".
The CT lottery knows if the ticket is a QP or SP and if it is a QP, the guy can't possibly prove that he played "his numbers" but lost the ticket. If it's a SP and the ticket is validated, he will some how prove he is the rightful owner who accidentally lost the ticket. I wonder what type of reward he is offering?
QP or SP no ticket no money...
ticket>ticket>gimmie that "DAM TICKET"!!!!!!