Man sues California Lottery for not honoring winning $5M Scratcher ticket

Comment #127

LiveInGreenBay — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 22:57:14 GMT

Thank God I'm not a brain-dead liberal. Hello? Do you know anything about California politics??? Yea, I didn't think so.

Comment #126

kreative1 — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 23:34:36 GMT

You are wrong and if you asked if you are ignorant I would have to agree.

Comment #125

LiveInGreenBay — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 22:39:59 GMT

We're talking California here. Problem is his name is Ward Thomas not Jose Gonzales. Tell me I'm wrong.

Comment #124

kreative1 — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 03:48:02 GMT

I agree but as the parent of the 16 year old the responsibility falls on him. The store shouldn't have been put in that situation in the first place. Just because it sounds like they were regulars doesn't make it right.

Comment #123

Stack47 — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 03:35:26 GMT

Yep and the retailer might have a problem too. Lots of stories about underage players winning slot jackpots at casinos with the usual frivolous litigation.

Comment #122

kreative1 — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 03:26:31 GMT

Yes, but the son is 16 not 18 and that's why it's an illegal purchase and disqualifies the win.

Comment #121

Stack47 — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 03:19:13 GMT

Most states lotteries allow 18-year-old players, but it's 21 in Arizona, Iowa, and Louisiana and 19 in Nebraska. Only 4 states allow 18-year-olds in other types of , gambling, 18 states allow some gambling (bingo, horse and dog racing) at 18, but 28 states have no other type of gambling at 18.

Comment #120

kreative1 — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 02:57:45 GMT

In CA you have to be 18 to legally purchase a lottery ticket. Some states the age is 21.

Comment #119

Stack47 — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 02:37:30 GMT

Thomas claims on or around Oct.Â 16 at 8 p.m. he and his 16-year-old son Benjamin went to the store to buy California Lottery tickets, which they had done in the past. --------- Benjamin bought five Scratchers tickets at $20 each and was given the remaining $230 to take home.

Which part of it's illegal for a 16-year-old to buy lottery tickets and collect the winnings am I missing

Comment #118

Bleudog101 — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 13:19:52 GMT

Noise-gate that was way too funny. Probably true though, they do their security checks, rules are rules and let this loser sue and lose.

Comment #117

noise-gate — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 04:10:16 GMT

l got to thinking about the back and forth that went on between the lottery commission Ward today. Initially the case was cut and dried, so let's be flies on the wall and take this in.

LC* Lottery Commission :Mr Ward, we are well aware of you checking your ticket, and we are more than willing to give you your check, however as with all winners in CA, we reviewed the security tapes at the store your ticket was purchased, and you sir, are no where in the picture. Who purchased the winning ticke... [ More ]

Comment #116

kreative1 — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 18:40:36 GMT

To add insult to injury, he should be charged with corruption of a minor. I wonder if when it's all over if this guy will ever play again. It sucks for sure but he has only himself to blame.

Comment #115

Ron5995 — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 17:03:26 GMT

In my layman's view, suing the California Lottery (and by extension the agent location that sold the tickets), while unlikely to be successful, is worthwhile given the amount of money at stake.

Unfortunately, it appears CA Lottery age requirements are very strict in regards to acquiring tickets. I read through the regulations and it looks very bleak for the plaintiff. In particular, the repeated mention of Disqualified Persons , Player , and related details to instant tickets and claiming pri... [ More ]

Comment #114

noise-gate — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 16:25:39 GMT

Well stated Floyd.

Comment #113

Bleudog101 — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 14:38:40 GMT

What a litigious society we live in. Hope the Judge tosses this for wasting the court's time. Don't know about lotteries countersuing, but I do know healthcare corporations will in a (pardon the pun) in a heartbeat and they usually win. Since I work in healthcare can't comment too much on that matter even though it was another hospital chain, not mine.

Comment #112

sully16 — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 11:24:08 GMT

You're welcome.

Comment #111

sully16 — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 11:23:28 GMT

You go freshen up and I'll tell you about my furry rims.

Comment #110

JezzVim — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 11:14:21 GMT

Very, Very Funny Sully!!

Thank You for the Laugh

Comment #109

KY Floyd — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 05:41:44 GMT

Is there Anything that Ward did that was Wrong?

You mean besides sending his kid into a lottery retailer to commit a crime?

So did the son actually buy the tickets? No.

Some of you people wouldn't be the sharpest thing in a tub of cool whip. If the kid didn't buy the lottery tickets then it's even more clear that neither he nor his father ever became the lawful owner of the winning ticket. Of course the reality is that the ticket was paid for with the prize money from the other... [ More ]

Comment #108

JADELottery — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 04:12:48 GMT

I almost crap my pants.

Comment #107

sully16 — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 04:06:26 GMT

lol, Couple month's ago, I was at the gas station playing pick 3, a pregnant girl came in and said someone hit a Kangaroo on 5 mile, we told her it was a deer, her response: Oh, I thought they were hibernating

That never made the news either.

Comment #106

JADELottery — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 03:39:04 GMT

In other news today.

Monday arrived and everyone tried to get on with their lives.

Now, over to Smarty with the weather.

Is the sky falling Smarty?

Why, yes it is.

There's a pointless bickering front heading our way.

We can expect a chance of isolated rants today with some occasional scattered memes.

You might want put on a good set waders, because the B.S. is going to be above flood stage.

Comment #105

kreative1 — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 03:26:40 GMT

PA they are still state liquor stores, beer is just starting to make its way into grocery stores. Beer was only sold at distributors. The article called it a liquor store not a convenience store.

Comment #104

Redd55 — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 03:20:03 GMT

In PA a minor is not allowed to go into a liquor store without an adult.

I'm assuming CA is the same....

Nope. And I've never seem a liquor store that didnt sell a lot of other food stuffs.

Comment #103

jarasan — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 03:13:11 GMT

Bunch of GD hand wringing, the lottery is a tax revenue for the state, and they don't like paying refunds. They love collecting those taxes but when it comes to paying up............................ FUQUE YOU!!!!!

You know like that lock box for the Social Security stuff, right?

Up in smoke baby.

Comment #102

kreative1 — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 02:04:34 GMT

In PA a minor is not allowed to go into a liquor store without an adult.

I'm assuming CA is the same, so the Dad is at fault for sending his son in there in the first place and then for having him purchase more tickets knowing full well that it's illegal for a minor to do so. If it was a small win they would have gotten away with it.

The examples of buying cigarettes are true but those laws have changed too. Everybody smoked back then,game shows, talk shows and marlboro commercials were th... [ More ]

Comment #101

kreative1 — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 01:34:17 GMT

Everybody is too wound up to enjoy your humor

Comment #100

atoz — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 01:06:49 GMT

I totally agree with you noise-gate........you have to play by the rules of the state you are playing. Case closed. Ward lost. Now he needs to get over it. Next time if there is one, he needs to get off his lazy butt and go in himself to do whatever.

Comment #99

Soledad — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 23:44:50 GMT

The store owner is responsible for following the rules and laws of the Gaming Commision. You can't just use , uh I don't know I just work here as an excuse. I can't believe we're actually saying that a scratch off ticket that is worth $5 million bucks is not the same as money. Or scratch off tickets worth $330 bucks either. He got 5 $20 tickets and the rest in cash. How did he buy the 5 $20 tickets, with make believe monoploy money? No with real money. Sorry. A cigar is not worth $5 million buck... [ More ]

Comment #98

Fundingagents — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 23:40:05 GMT

The father was being lazy. The store owner is not responsible either he just selling Lottery Tickets. Why did the father send his child to the store to purchase lottery tickets? It makes no sense and its illegal. My question who receives the 5 million dollar the store owner or the lottery

Comment #97

grwurston — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 23:26:09 GMT

Just another thought. If the kid is that good at picking winners, next time they should go in together and just let the kid pick the scratch offs. But maybe that's how they won the $330 in the first place.

Comment #96

JADELottery — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 23:23:19 GMT

Scratch That

Comment #95

grwurston — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 23:20:53 GMT

I don't know how you did that video, but I'm LMAO.

Comment #94

JADELottery — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 23:19:21 GMT

I'll let you scratch mine, if you let me scratch yours.

Comment #93

JADELottery — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 23:14:59 GMT

Did you know that $5 Million in scratchers would be a great gift idea

Comment #92

JADELottery — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 23:13:00 GMT

No, no, Patrick, this is not Opposite Day.

Put the Rock down... Slooowwwly.

Comment #91

grwurston — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 23:12:21 GMT

I was thinking the same thing. There was never any $$$ that changed hands between the son and the clerk.

So did the son actually buy the tickets? No. When I was about 12 or 13 my father and I went to a local deli.

I was sent in to get milk, bread, and cigars for my Dad. The clerk asked me who the cigars were for. I told them,

My Dad. He's outside in the car. They could see him through the store window. After that I could buy them

anytime. Yeah, it was illegal for them to sell them t... [ More ]

Comment #90

jarasan — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 22:36:04 GMT

The metaphors are infinite.

Comment #89

JADELottery — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 22:22:06 GMT

I think everyone needs to do whatever it is they do to Calm Down.

Relax...

You'll have plenty of other news articles to fight over.

Comment #88

noise-gate — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:37:06 GMT

You taking this personal. We having a discussion. I want people to win, that's why l am here, but l am not going to bat for someone's stupidity.

Comment #87

LiveInGreenBay — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:34:37 GMT

You kidding me? I can't imagine someone from this site defending what California did. You're a lost cause. Enjoy.

Comment #86

noise-gate — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:27:30 GMT

So from what you read in this article,Ward did not do a single thing that is a violation of the lottery rules

Comment #85

LiveInGreenBay — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:22:40 GMT

No. He paid for the scratch-off. The State got their money.

Comment #84

LiveInGreenBay — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:21:27 GMT

I'm still lost on your post and explanation. I don't have time to watch cartoons. Again, California is wrong. He should sue them for 10 times the amount. How can they have machines selling scratch-offs to anyone and deny this white man the money because his son bought the thing? Answer is...Wait for this....Because he's white. Tell me I'm wrong and explain why.

Comment #83

noise-gate — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:21:19 GMT

Okay- here's a simple question. Is there Anything that Ward did that was Wrong

Comment #82

jarasan — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:20:15 GMT

What is it with you guys?

Ward Thomas is being discriminated against, could be for one of any random reasons including skin color, again SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT! Justice and its officials are not blind anymore.

Comment #81

Ron5995 — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:17:37 GMT

An excellent point that's been alluded to already in this thread. Furthermore, if the father was an undocumented foreign person ( illegal alien in non-PC parlance), there would likely have never been an issue to begin with. Or, if the issue did arise, could be conveniently dismissed with the reasoning of it was part of their native culture to send a child to run errands even for age restricted items, such as alcohol and cigarettes.

I wonder if the CA Lottery has ever paid out a large prize wi... [ More ]

Comment #80

noise-gate — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:16:13 GMT

Whenever l see jarasan's avatar pic, it reminds me of Spongebob's buddy- Patrick. No harm intended.

Comment #79

LiveInGreenBay — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:13:36 GMT

Who's Patrick and what the heck are you talking about? LOL! Whites are the underclass there, everyone knows it but you.

Comment #78

noise-gate — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:11:01 GMT

Patrick thinks everything is left wing out here. You talking about white money being denied? What is it with you guys

Comment #77

jarasan — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:10:14 GMT

That is problem, SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT, arbitrary enforcement, what ever you want to call it, it is wrong keeping that money from that family.

Of course if the kid had a party with alcohol at the parents house, the parents get the fines right? The parents own the kid, they own that scratchy.

Do you own these kids

Comment #76

LiveInGreenBay — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:05:30 GMT

If his name was Jose would he have been denied? Come on man, be honest. Tell me there aren't 100 minority organizations that wouldn't have filed discrimination lawsuits. Its all political, the guys white.

Comment #75

noise-gate — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 20:52:56 GMT

You comparing apples with oranges. Ward's mistake was sending his kid in. Had he gone in himself, we wouldn't be discussing this. The State lottery is very aggressive in making sure winners get paid. Back in 2012-13, they actually put the video out of a winner of the MM who had not come forward after 45 days. They have since stopped that practice. Ward has no one else but himself to blame for his laziness, you asking me to side with him on his behavior..I think not.

** If a parent bought a bo... [ More ]

Comment #74

jarasan — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 20:45:06 GMT

Yeah, of course look at (the Romans) Italy today. Why have courts?

Go Romans

Comment #73

Ron5995 — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 20:42:15 GMT

Abuses by lotteries extend far beyond not paying out winners due to technicalities. Overly short deadlines for claiming, such as 90 days for New Mexico Lottery tickets. 180 days isn't that much better given that many people travel, etc. Unclaimed prizes adds up to huge amounts of money.

Another angle is making games that are confusing to play. Some ways include: easily missed Bonus play areas, color schemes that make differentiating text difficult, unusual win patterns (ie. Z for a Bingo game... [ More ]

Comment #72

LiveInGreenBay — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 20:33:44 GMT

Didn't you read the previous posts? California has machines you can get scratch-offs from. Do those machines check fukn IDs? Quit defending that stinking state. Admit it, you'd rather live in Wisconsin. LOL

Comment #71

noise-gate — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 20:25:29 GMT

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. You have to play by the lottery rules of the State you find yourself in, you do not make up your own as you go along.Ward did not play by the rules. Army or not, Ward has no case Jarasan, even you must see that.

Comment #70

jarasan — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 20:20:36 GMT

How many attorneys? An army? How many attorneys in the lootery army of attorneys? I would demand a jury trial, it doesn't matter how many GD attorneys the lottery has, the jury would decide, and if the defense just looked at all these armchair attorney's opinions the defense would have several nuke defenses to destroy that miserable army of leftist prog BS.

Comment #69

noise-gate — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 20:13:55 GMT

Perhaps this has been forgotten,but the CA lottery Commission has an army of attorneys, these attorneys are well versed in the law, unlike the armchair attorneys here who are giving their opinions as to why Ward should be paid out.The CA lottery Commission is definitely not going to go out on a limb and deny this payout, UNLESS their attorneys have reviewed everything given them the green light to go ahead and do so. If only Ward had done the right thing from the very beginning..

Comment #68

jarasan — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 20:11:15 GMT

Yes, we are a nation of laws but in this case and millions of other cases laws are enforced when it pleases benefits leftist prog

state and fed govts. from said SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!

Just like the GD HACA, that sh1t should be for everybody including Ruth Buzzy Bader Ginburger and John McBlame. etc etc etc . That is how the left and progressives roll.

The lottery players of Cali. should boycott and send a message.

Comment #67

atoz — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 19:18:25 GMT

Whats the odds the next time the old man has a winning ticket he will get off his lazy butt and go do his business himself.

We are a nation of laws....laws are laws and are to be obeyed...if not then you suffer any consequences.

As much as I dont like what the california lottery is doing ...I have to agree they are within their rights. There is no reason to make laws or policies if you are not going to enforce them.

Now are a second note of something else i dont like or agree with but

Comment #66

Artist77 — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 17:42:00 GMT

Exactly

Comment #65

JADELottery — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 16:47:04 GMT

Comment #64

MADDOG10 — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 15:38:23 GMT

At Ward's request, he sent his son inside with 12 Deluxe 7's Scratchers that totaled $330 in winnings. He asked his son to exchange the tickets for more Scratchers, according to the lawsuit.

Benjamin bought five Scratchers tickets at $20 each and was given the remaining $230 to take home. When Ward and his son went home, they played the tickets and a 100X The Money ticket resulted in a winning amount of $5 million.

Comment #63

LiveInGreenBay — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 12:46:24 GMT

That is a very good point.

Comment #62

chris-chase — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 11:44:29 GMT

Since California, and most states, have self service lottery terminals then I believe their argument of not selling to minors is out. If they do not provide a means of being able to police ALL terminals from being used by minors then they shouldn't have a leg to stand on. I know in this particualr case it was sold by a human, but IMO case law should indicate that if they cannot provide a means, so that no under age person buys lottery tickets state wide , then they should not win in this particu... [ More ]

Comment #61

benir4u — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 06:48:53 GMT

this is such a farce, it shouldn't even be up for debate, pay the money to the adult and fine the store that sold the ticket because it was not for the kid anyway, it was for the father.

Comment #60

amber123 — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 05:16:52 GMT

Im-moving-back-to-Florida...I-knew-I-shouldn't-have-moved-here-to-Los-Angeles.....Crazy-Life..lol

Nothing-Politcal

Comment #59

amber123 — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 05:04:31 GMT

Learning-to-be-a-successful-Lawyer-is-the-best-lottery-win....You-gambled-with-a-Profession-and-won...lol

Comment #58

rca1952 — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 04:51:58 GMT

Them sum's a bitches will do whatever the can not to pay someone

Comment #57

jarasan — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 00:31:24 GMT

Fuque the California lottery and the GD horse they rode in on, how many fuquing GD payouts have they given illegals????????? Fuque those money grubbing leftist lottery commissioners they are nazi fascist confiscatory assho1es, give it up you cheap out of money fuqued up left coast whore leftist govt. THIEVES!!!!!!!!!!! Only in Kalifornika, what pile of garbage welcher thieves, they want their 30 pieces of silver. Welchers.

I need your money HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Comment #56

Kola — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 23:27:36 GMT

Lol - thank you Artist77

Comment #55

Artist77 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 22:10:41 GMT

I agree fellow counsel

Comment #54

LiveInGreenBay — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 20:57:30 GMT

The father is the holder of the stinking scratch-off! Pay the man California! What if the guy found this scratch-off lying on the sidewalk? Would California still pay? It might have been bought by a 12 year old

Comment #53

Ron5995 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 20:40:52 GMT

There are relatively few jackpot size prizes ($1+ million) in play (active packs for sale right now) at any given time. It's simple for a lottery to detect whether a large jackpot instant ticket has likely sold recently. Presumably, lotteries maintain a log of when every ticket was cashed. Easy to narrow down the approx date and time of when a specific winning ticket was sold based on that. No huge amount of manpower needed for that part.

However, you're right about sales locations being spre... [ More ]

Comment #52

Kola — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 20:16:48 GMT

Yes konane, you are correct, the agent(Ward Thomas' 16 year-old son) does assume the legal requirement to be able to conform to the statutes of law... .

My argument was that a distinction could be made between the Letter(literal interpretation) of the Law and the Spirit(Intent) of the Law. It's fascinating to me that even with our highest court - The U.S. Supreme Court - the outcome isn't always certain, and the Justices often have to wrangle, contentiously so, between these two themes.

Ye... [ More ]

Comment #51

Soledad — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 18:59:39 GMT

It may seem simple to you. But unless I'm mistaken which I am not a minor under legal age has no right to be legitimately gambling in any way shape or form. The ticket was handed to the minor. That's a very simple point to understand and a very clear violation of the State's, i.e. the government, gaming laws. Laws. Period. There's really nothing else to get. But people never think the rules apply to them at the time.

Comment #50

TheGameGrl — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 18:07:19 GMT

So...when using an automated machine ( which my state has- along with play at the pump),Who do they (alledgedly )interview? To validate the person is over 18? Sorry pal, there is no assigned lottery rep driving to kingdom come to interview the clerk about a winning ticket. Most employees don't stick around long enough , higher turn over. So then what? Does lottery run stings.. Sure. This doesn't fall under that circumstance.

This is not a complicated payout. The ticket is legitimate, the file... [ More ]

Comment #49

konane — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 17:57:44 GMT

To be an agent acting for and in behalf of someone, doesn't that agent have a legal requirement to be able to conform to the stautes of law which allow agent to be able to perform such an act

Comment #48

Redd55 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 17:44:22 GMT

Sorry, but I cant imagine the lottery people have the time and manpower to monitor sales that closely. This is a very large state with hundreds of thousands of outlets with some in very rural areas. One time I was driving in northern cal for 5 hours and only saw one other car on the road -- spooky

Comment #47

noise-gate — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 17:36:03 GMT

There is that funny line people use that says Rules are meant to be broken .. Well yeah right, if you avoiding a collision and going over the solid line. But never when it's dealing with the State lottery. Ward is up a creek with this one attempting to take them on.He broke the rules- it's all saber rattling from him at this point. A few years ago, a player came forward to show that it was him purchasing the winning ticket on the store video,the lottery agreed, but he could not produce the ticke... [ More ]

Comment #46

Ron5995 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 16:52:07 GMT

Good point. Yes, many stores overwrite / delete video after 30 days or even less, so waiting many months could work. However, not necessarily. Lotteries can know what instant packs contain big prizes, location of the packs, and when those packs are activated and closed out. So it's possible a lottery could seek out video, etc long before a big winning ticket is claimed.

I don't know if any lottery does that, but it wouldn't surprise me if some do, such as California. Whether they'd admit it,... [ More ]

Comment #45

Redd55 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 16:10:53 GMT

For large prize winners (typically, $1 million plus), lotteries will view video recordings, interview the lottery clerk / store owner, check sales logs, etc looking for irregularities...

But how does one do that with scratchers? In this case, it was validated the next or same day. But what if someone bought a scratcher and didnt validate it for months? There would be no video of it and if they asked the winner when he bought it, he could say he didnt remember. Now, I know video surveillance i... [ More ]

Comment #44

TheMeatman2005 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 15:07:49 GMT

1. In the lawsuit, Thomas claims on or around Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. he and his 16-year-old son Benjamin went to the store to buy California Lottery tickets, which they had done in the past.

It doesn't state if he was present at the time of those previous purchases or if he had sent his underage son into the store to buy the tickets as well.

2. At Ward's request, he sent his son inside with 12 Deluxe 7's Scratchers that totaled $330 in winnings. He asked his son to exchange the tickets for mor... [ More ]

Comment #43

LiveInGreenBay — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 14:58:49 GMT

Who cares who bought the scratch-off. Winnings go to the holder of the ticket/scratch-off. Does California deny illegal immigrants from lottery winnings? Yea, didn't think so.

Comment #42

haymaker — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 14:13:15 GMT

Smokey Robinson : A taste of honey's worse then none at all

Comment #41

Ron5995 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:55:59 GMT

For large prize winners (typically, $1 million plus), lotteries will view video recordings, interview the lottery clerk / store owner, check sales logs, etc looking for irregularities...

For all the talk of a lottery ticket being a bearer instrument, the reality, as occurred in this instance, is often different. This has tripped up some discarded ticket winners too, in particular, tickets found in trashcans on the premises of a store verses off the street. While some such winners have prevail... [ More ]

Comment #40

Kola — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:51:56 GMT

I agree with everything you said, except the he's fat and lazy and father's an idiot parts of course, lol. If what we've read in this article is all there is to the plaintiff's case, I lament to say that I wish they could have been a bit more creative in establishing a legitimate claim. Your angle, KY Floyd, of proving that the clerk knew the kid was under 18 begins to wend it's way toward that creativity, especially if they can then bring in a little philosophical reasoning into it to muddy the... [ More ]

Comment #39

wander73 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:36:33 GMT

Okay I understand your first statement. However the store now has to do a better job, the lawsuit it depends on the lawyers.

The last sentence you're correct. The lottery commission will point out things in the law.

Comment #38

wander73 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:32:13 GMT

This story doesn't make sense. It's the stores word against the customer. If the store is going to get in trouble it's with the city, state, zoning, and the lottery commission for selling the ticket to the minor if the kid is that.

I remember when I first bought an instant ticket at a place near where I live at they asked me for ID.

It would be like a liquor store selling to a minor with a fake id and the store being in serious trouble. Why wasn't the ticket therefore sold to the pare... [ More ]

Comment #37

Mamma28z — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:09:23 GMT

I would NEVER send anyone in to cash in $300 worth of winning tickets !

That Dad is crazy...

Comment #36

KY Floyd — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 10:56:03 GMT

It's about who bought the ticket, not who tried to claim the prize. Minors can win and claim prizes, but only if the tickets are legally purchased and then given to the minor. Similarly, an adult can only claim a prize with a ticket that was legally purchased and this ticket wasn't legally purchased. As for why the father didn't go in, who knows. Maybe he's disabled. Maybe he's fat and lazy.

At any rate the father's an idiot, but he's obviously got plenty of company. The law is crystal clear... [ More ]

Comment #35

Artist77 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 10:25:10 GMT

Exactly! Case law with different fact patterns interpret laws daily. I would take this case! If the father came in there all the time with his son, I would argue they knew he was simply acting as a proxy for his father. So the lottery store freely waived their so called process. Sometimes parents hand kids money to pay for items to teach them adult skills.

Comment #34

American Indian — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 08:41:56 GMT

My Son has had a Mustache since he was 12 yrs old, everyone has always thought he was my Husband or boyfriend(poor kid) my Daughter 8yrs Younger everyone thinks Is my Sister since she was 12-13, I still got Carded when I'd buy my husbands Cig's or Beer.

If the Father told the same story he's telling now that's how they know that It was kid 16 yr old Son that went an cashed In the Winning Ticket an Bought more which In all the excitement he very well may have who knows? I know the Law states... [ More ]

Comment #33

gr8ter — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 07:50:59 GMT

Pay the Winner his cash.

They are finding a way not to pay him.

He paid for the tickets.

Did his son buy the original tickets.

How often has he been allowed to buy tickets

Comment #32

speeddmon — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 05:08:06 GMT

Yeah it's like being sent in as a kid to pay for gas for the parent. You're not old enough to operate a motor vehicle so are you not allowed to pay for gas. Also did the kid look 16 or older? How did they know the kid was 16? I looked 18 or older in high school but never played the lottery until I was 18 and I've only been asked for ID 2x since I started playing.

Comment #31

weshar75 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 03:36:06 GMT

I think the lotto is going to strip the store for selling to under age minor and not pay the man for having his son cash in his tickets how lazy do you have to be to not cash in your own tickets. I mean I am heavy as a chevy and I still walk to circle k store and big apple market to cash in my small winners and buy tickets.-weshar75

Comment #30

Lotologist — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 02:58:33 GMT

The tickets explicitly state that players need to be 18 or over to play, however, it's not like the kid was the one attempting to claim the big prize. The guy should be able to collect the $5 Million, minus the fine costs for the 16 Year-Old doing the buying on the father's behalf. I really don't get why the father couldn't buy the tickets himself. Was he banned from that particular liquor store

Comment #29

Soledad — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 02:46:10 GMT

Lol, I'll split the million with you.

Comment #28

noise-gate — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 02:27:11 GMT

l am willing to bet a $1 mil * fantasy money that this dad loses this lawsuit against the CA lottery Commission. Whose willing to put up a million dollars challenge me?

Hmm,l guess my case is too strong...