PRATT, Kan. — A Pratt, Kansas, woman was thrilled when she won a NASCAR prize package for this weekend. That feeling soon turned to disappointment when the Kansas Lottery took the prize back.
"I'm sure dreams do come true for some, but not for me," said Pratt resident Leisa Mauch.
Mauch's dream in this case was to get to the Kansas Speedway.
"Kyle Busch, Kyle Busch is my guy!"
For a few days, she thought she had the winning ticket. The Kansas Lottery sent her a letter and it said:
"Congratulations from the Kansas Lottery! You are the winner of a racing weekend for two."
The package included hotel, transportation and spending money for the racing weekend. About 4 days later, a Kansas lottery representative called back after she sent in her claim form with the ticket to tell her she was disqualified.
"Her entry had to be disqualified because instead of sending us a non-winning ticket as we have to have in a second chance drawing she sent us a winning ticket," said Kansas Lottery public affairs director Sally Lunsford.
Mauch tells us she filled out an online form with the numbers of multiple Nascar scratch-offs. Now she wants to know why they didn't find out it was a disqualified ticket before sending out the prize letter.
"If it's error on my side then yeah I deserve it, but I didn't deserve to have that letter sent to me and the e-mail. It really should have been found before it was sent to me or anybody," said Mauch.
We asked the Kansas Lottery why they didn't run the ticket number to disqualify her beforehand.
"We had no way of knowing at that time whether she had a winning or non-winning ticket until we had the actual ticket in hand," said Lunsford.
The Kansas Lottery requested a number located with a barcode on the back of the ticket. That number doesn't reveal whether or not the ticket is a winner.
"We're taking steps next year with our computer setup that this won't happen. That there will be a way to enter other numbers," said Lunsford.
They'll request an additional number already located under the scratch off that does reveal that information in future. For Mauch, the damage is done.
"Don't invite friends to something big like this unless you have it in hand because it's hard to tell them "Hey can't take ya!" said Mauch.
The Kansas Lottery offered Mauch 2 tickets to the Kansas Speedway. Mauch says without the lodging and extra spending money she can't afford to go. Another man, Gary Ralston, told eyewitness news the exact same thing happened to him on the same contest. The Kansas Lottery confirmed it.
"To my knowledge it's never happened before so it is unfortunate, but a fairly rare occurance," said Lunsford.
That was a real slap in the face from the Kansas Lottery. regardless of how they explained it away.
To be sent a confirmation letter congratulating you on your prize, is not only misleading but cruel.
They should have made good on the offer, what are we talking here a few hundred bucks? Not to mention she was a huge NASCAR fan.
This puts a black eye on both their reputation and competence. Shame on them for not doing the right thing!
AGREED
Oh snap!
crackle, pop!
Bad PR for the Kansas Lottery.
They look like a bunch of schmucks.
It was as much their fault as it was hers, they should honor the win and award the prize and fix it so it doesn't happen again.
Or forever remain Schmucks.
Its very obvious that it was an error on your part Mauch.......
You lose a second time...... Congratulations.
Some people are so use to doing things half a** and not following instructions that they think they should be rewarded for making the effort.
Yeah, get pulled over for speeding and get a gift certificate to Olive Garden instead of a ticket.
This is what happens when "YOU" let a bueaucrat "GIT" in UR draw.....er'$$$
I was pulled over for speeding last month. My story was so convincing, the nice officer offered me a gift certificate to the Outback Steakhouse!
Mine is buttoned.
That would apply to the Kansas Lottery as well as the woman.
She got caught trying to cheat...........
The all powerful, all knowing, omnipresent lottery sent her a letter of prize confirmation, she was both cheated and duped.
I'm sure the Lottery Officials reward themselves very well and what penalty are they taking for screwing up on their end?
Maybe the guy who sent her the letter saying she won should lose an equal amount out of his salary.
But will he?
Nope, not a chance in hell.
The muckety-mucks never lose a dime.
Yikes, give her the prize.
So she was disqualified because she inadvertently sent in a winning scratcher. Did they at least give her the prize she won from that?
NY won't let you enter winning second chance tickets online. It won't go thru. Something got screwed up.
but did the winning ticket win the prize?
Hey ChipP 2 from the Kentucky State Lottery Commission, how would you guys have handled a similar situation?
I feel so sad about what had happened to Mrs Mauch. Maybe there was a fault on her side that made her disqualified from the winnings, but there was also some mistakes made by the Kansas Lottery - they did not verify well the information and ticket sent by Mrs Mauch and unfortunately sent a Congratulations Message.... I just hope that this will not happen again, for it would only cause nightmare instead of good dreams to lottery hopefuls...
In NH if you try to enter a non-winning ticket on-line for a promotional drawing, it will generate an "invalid ticket" message if the ticket is a winner.
Don't understand why other states couldn't adopt this same technology?
She filled out a form and mailed it in. She is a three time loser.......
Perhaps everyone who makes a false claim for a prize, should get the prize they are claiming
NO, she is a loser and gets NOTHING........
Maybe after reading some of these posts, the Kansas Lottery will make it up to this player by giving her some "guaranteed" winning scratchers.
I would say $250,000 would begin to compensate for her emotional wounds and damaged reputation.
When the damage to your reputation is because you really are an idiot nodody else needs to compensate you for the damage.
Why? Most of these posts are saying following the rules of the competition shouldn't matter,
I don't roll with most of the posts necessarily.
Maybe to some this a popularity contest.
The Kansas Lottery made some very poor judgement calls in this incident, and I believe some compensation is in order.
Who's running the Kansas Lottery, the 3 stooges? They obviously didn't beta test or debug the game before launching it; that's just laziness & slopiness. This one's on the operators of the Lottery. C'mon, guys; get your act together!
Actually Seattlejohn, I believe even The Three Stooges could have pulled off a much classier outcome than these buffoons.
Only a box of rocks could screw up, humiliate and disappoint one of their own dedicated lottery players.
And even after this train wreck was publicly broadcast, they continued to stick their heads in the sand.
If this were a private company, heads would be rolling by now.
She almost scammed the lottery out of a free trip, but they got it right and a rightful winner will get the trip.
Not a wrongful loser........
We have to wonder why she would submit a winning ticket for a second chance prize....
The only logical explanation is that she didn't realize it was a winner. That's why I asked if she at least got the prize indicated on the ticket.
She either did something stupid or made a dumb mistake. I don't think stupid or dumb should be rewarded.