An Indianapolis resident says “workers at the Speedway store refused to sell him a ticket with a few minutes left before the sales cutoff.” He says he’d picked the winning numbers and filled them out on the slip they wouldn’t accept, so now he’s suing the convenience store chain for the $11.5 million jackpot. [AP/IndyStar.com]
8 Comments
“Andrews says he signed his play slip and left it with the store so he would have proof in case they were the winning numbers. ”
How do we know the play slip was not signed after the fact? Or if it was signed before the fact, how do we know that? I’m very suspicious.
I have to imagine the thrust of this claim is that he left it with the store before the drawing. I should think that is a fair inference from ‘he left it with the store’.
Ok, I get it. This is still way too convenient, though. I can’t help but think it’s an inside job of sorts–like the play slip was replaced by the winning numbers after the drawing by an employee who is an accomplice of the player.
Think about it–go into a store in the last few minutes with your own selected lotto numbers (not a quick pick) and get refused service–probably because there are other customers in line first. Have the presence of mind to sign and give to the store your own selected numbers that just so happen to win in the subsequent drawing, instead of simply giving up and leaving. Then, low and behold, the player’s numbers win.
Color me skeptical. I believe this is a scam.
I remember this story from about a year ago. The cut off times must be at or before a set time, and that set time is determined by the lottery commission. The retailer can cut off lottery sales whenever they want, prior to that time.
Not only is this likely a scam, but even if the store clerks are willing to confirm that he gave them the signed form before the drawing, the possibility of collusion with the clerks is also a risk (11.5 million reasons for colluding). Besides what is his theory of liability for the store, the probability of his selected numbers winning the lottery is so unlikely that that’s not a really a foreseeable outcome of denying him the purchase of a ticket.
Does this gentleman claim with a straight face that he would have given the store the price of the ticket the next day if his numbers had lost?
Come on, if this sale is not consummated there is no obligation on anyone’s part. But we all know that.
A more interesting case involving the lottery is their regulation that prizes unclaimed for more than a year revert to the state. You have this regulation pitted against equitible principles.
Apparently this is more common than thought. Why just last week I had picked the winning numbers to the Powerball and wouldn’t you know it, those freakin’ little ping pong balls refused to cooperate.
So who do I sue?