Includes video report
A Washington, D.C. woman is taking on the Virginia Lottery after she bought a winning ticket worth $20,000 but is not getting the money. The lottery said the ticket was issued in error.
"When I saw that $20,000, you don't know how excited I was," said Ardella Newman.
On Aug. 22, at a lottery machine inside Shoppers in Alexandria, Newman thought she hit it big. On a $2 scratch-off ticket she matched the number 16 — for $20,000.
"$20,000 could really, really help me," said Newman. "I have a sister who is in Syracuse. She's very sick. I could help her with her medical bills."
But Newman's dreams of helping her sister disappeared when she tried to cash in the ticket. Lottery officials told her there had been a mistake; the ticket was issued in error.
A normal ticket has the winning numbers on the top. Newman's ticket had the winning numbers on the bottom, suggesting the machine cut the ticket in the wrong spot.
A manager at Shoppers said only trained lottery officials are allowed to load the machines. Newman contends if there was a mistake, that's not her fault; she paid for the ticket and she should get the winnings.
"I want the money that I thought I won. If you look at the ticket, it says I won this money. It wasn't anything that I did wrong. It's what they did wrong," concluded Newman.
Newman filed a complaint with the Virginia Lottery, which is investigating.
VIDEO: Watch the news story
The real mistake was trusting the Virginia Lottery to payoff on a ticket that says its a Winner.
Exactly.
Another vending machine problem. I rarely buy tics from machines anymore.
So do I understand this right ... there are two possible losers ... this woman and also someone else with part of the other ticket that was actually the winner. There was maybe no way the other person could win unless they have the bar code on their ticket to scan ... saying winner or see clerk ... but they would not have the part showing $20,000.
The lottery should make good for both persons or give some compensation.
It was their mistake ... or do I not understand something?
CW
Good point. I suppose the tic with the bar code is the winner. IF....the person that bought it scans it. By just looking at it they might think it's a loser.
Also a good point ... the actual real winner may have thrown the "winning ticket" away not seeing any prize.
If they double check (scan) their tickets before throwing them away ... maybe they could catch it or someone checking tickets in the trash might get lucky.
Wow ... wonder if the VA Lottery would refuse to pay on the actual winning ticket since it wasn't "cut" right but has the bar codes?
CW
well the way i see it is ....its their game...they are the professionals....its their problem, Pay the lady, Virginia Lottery. I dont care if it was in error, you owe her.
this is why I don't trust scratchers to start with
The State should pay the lady her money and sue the company that made the mistake plain and simple
my thoughts exactly
Thats terrible they should do something for this lady because it was there error .who would buy a scratch off only to be told your ticket is a error no win ...smh..
No.
She did not win and should not be paid.
16 was not a number on her ticket. So what if it didn't cut right...both probably lost.
It would be like buying 2 tickets and making a match from 'your numbers' on either ticket.
You can't do that and if she had the remainder of the cut off ticket, it would be clear to
everyone she did not win...ticket for ticket.
Is this her first time playing or is she trying to pull off what she knows isn't right?
Good luck.
I would reject the ticket also, it's not a winner.
Always looking for any excuse to screw and ripoff the players. Shame on you!!!. Just pay the lady.
The lady did not win. What she ended up with is parts from two different tickets. She is either a moron or a cheat by trying to get a free payday out of this obvious mistake. The lotteries only responsibility would be to replace the ticket(s) issued in error, with another ticket.
I've played scratchers for years and never had a problem. I 've won far more money with scratchers than with draw games. Avoid buying scratchers from vending machines and you won't have a problem. If a store clerk tries to hand me a damaged card from a roll, I'll simply refuse to pay for it and walk out.
right on bro u tell them
Seems like lotteries should be required to carry Errors & Omissions insurance so they can pay when they make a mistake. Which this was. They said it was cut wrong - which I think means it came from the factory that way. A trained lottery official loaded the machine and didn't notice it. The buyer didn't notice it. The lottery and/or one of their vendors screwed up, pay the woman her money!
That would be the last time I'd ever play lottery in Virginia if I lived in D.C.
When these lotteries discover defects in their scratch off games, they quietly pull them from stores and there's no mention of refunds to the thousands of defrauded players and yet some people are defending the VA lottery on this one. Sickening is an understatement.
Although I don't play scratchoffs, this is why I try to buy my lottery tickets while at work in DC vs Virginia. I trust the DC lottery people..as messed up as DC usually is... to pay way before the Virginia lottery ever would.
They are the biggest ripoffs of all time.
There's more to this story than meets the eye! Another News story related to this one can be found here: https://www.lotterypost.com/news/293764
There's absolutely no reason to believe that either ticket was a winner. The only thing that makes the one ticket appear to be a winner is the coincidence of matching the winning numbers on the piece from the 2nd ticket. The extra piece on the first ticket tells us wjhat numbers need to be matched on the 2nd ticket, but we have no way of knowing what numbers are on the 2nd ticket.
The perforation should make it obvious even to stupid people that the ticket contains part of a different ticket. From there it shouldn't be difficult to figure out that neither of the two tickets shows all of the numbers necessary to determine if it's a winner. Both tickets do contain the bar code, and that will reveal whether or not either ticket is a winner.
Or now days.....any lottery for that matter!
Nope! that's not a winner. Two different tickets. She's not going to win that - whine all you want about scams and unfairness but it's just a bad cut on the ticket.