Valid $179 Million Lost Lottery Ticket Turned In- Battle Looms Over 'Lost Property'

Detroit Free Press ^ | 1/6/04

[11th Earl of Mar]

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Someone turned in a valid ticket for the $162 million Mega Millions multistate lottery jackpot, the Ohio Lottery said Tuesday, a day after a Cleveland woman claimed she lost the winning ticket outside the convenience store where it was sold.

[RandallFlagg]

ROTFL! Or, even better, he'll go after the Lottery commissioner -if he/she's white.

"These games are disenfranchising millions of African Americans. Reparations are in order."

**spurglerp-szitz**
(the sound of thousands of FReepers wrecking even MORE keyboards)

[Semper Paratus]

The store owner and his employees knew the details. Dollars to doughnuts the supposed ticket loser knows one of them.

I would discount that theory. The store knew they sold the winning ticket and will get a nice chunk of change when it's redeemed. Participate in a scam and they will lose all their lottery business.

[csvset]

No tickee... No laundry... So sorry.

Lol, a case for CSI?

[boxerblues]

not sure how it works but would they be able to tell that s was a mutlible bet ticket?

[gridlock]

Obviously, there is a date/time record of when the ticket was sold. If some other evidence can establish who was at the counter at that time, like store surveillance video, then it is entirely possible to determine the owner.It shocks me to hear the police and lottery officials yapping about "finder's keepers" in this case. It's completely irresponsible.

Treating lottery tickets as anything other than bearer instruments is what is irresponsible. If people have to start proving they bought tickets through other means, the potential for mischief is infinite. Cops can be bribed. Tapes can be faked. The amount of money we are talking about can buy the cooperation of an awful lot of people who will swear up and down that the ticket belong to... whoever...

If you lost your lottery ticket, you lost a buck worth of lottery ticket. Nothing more. 99.9% of lottery tickets are bought, saved, and checked by the person who bought it. Any story that winds up with the ticket in the hand of anybody other than the person who bought it is very unlikely, IMHO.

[Protagoras]

What are the odds she had someone she knew in the lottery department that fed her the data?

Not as high as winning, but very long I'd say.

[A CA Guy]

I'm sure it was announced where the winning ticket was purchased at and then she could have either lost it or could be spinning this for what ever reason.

[Bikers4Bush]

You shouldn't. The press conference was today. The woman who won knew she won on tuesday night and started the process the next day.

The other woman is a fraud.

[sinkspur]

In short, not enough is known so far to make that statement.

Lottery tickets are "bearer instruments." It says so on the back, at least here in Texas.

"Pay to the bearer." Ms. Battles is out of luck, regardless of what happened.

[Protagoras]

End of story.

Nonsense. Plenty of precedent for lost property, including money, another "bearer" note.

[Naspino]

Isn't there a place to sign your name on the ticket? If she'd done this then she would have a legitimate claim -- other than that its money.

[A CA Guy]

They might find OJ's real killer in this process. ;)

[Bikers4Bush]

I don't think they would be willing participants. More likely they just threw around what they knew and this woman picked enough up to file a report.

[sinkspur]

You're such a contrarian!

It's obvious to all but the most ignorant the Battles is a fraud.

Just like the Ramseys.

[Protagoras]

claim the money anonymously

Not an option under lottery rules.

[boxerblues]

the mega millions ticket only sez that the lottery commission is not responsible for lost or stolen tickets

[smith288]

Finders keepers...doesn't work in law.

Mrs Battle doesnt have anything else besides her word. That doesnt work in law either.

She needs more than just her word. She needs other people to vouch for her presense at the time of ticket purchase. She needs a bet slip to cross verify the numbers on the actual ticket. She needs more than ambiguous reasoning behind the numbers she selects. She needs more than just her tears during a police report.

[Cooter]

If Mrs Jamison has the bet slip that matches all other lines on the winning ticket then she wins.

Not so fast. While I think Mrs. Jamison is the true winner, one can easily reconstruct a bet slip if she holds the winning ticket. What would cinch the deal is if she produced a ticket with the same set of numbers from a previous drawing.

[Wings-n-Wind]

no mine.... me too....
this whole thing is very funny!

[Bikers4Bush]

Yes. The backs of all tickets have sequential numbers running across them, if you have two $5 from a ten pick betslip the numbers on the back will run in sequence.

In addition the bet details are recorded in the bar code on the ticket I believe.