A LOTTERY player thought he hit gold before being stunned to discover that he had not won.
James Lester of Ohio believed he had been duped following a near-miss on the game of chance.
He spent only $2 on the I’m Lucky and I Gnome It scratch-off ticket, believing he had won the $5,000 top prize.
Lester was confident he had won the prize, but reading the numbers on his phone yielded a different result.
“I scanned it, and it said loser, so I was like, ‘Oh no. “My phone is tripping,” he told ABC affiliate WEWS.
Lester wanted to get to the bottom of the case so he returned to the store where he purchased the ticket.
He asked a store employee what the number on his ticket was.
The digits in question were blurred in comparison to the rest of the numbers in the row.
An Ohio Lottery official stated that they had received a complaint regarding the numbers on a ticket being difficult to read.
“Tickets were reprinted, and sales reps are working to remove the old tickets from the field, but if the previously printed version was still sold it was still a valid ticket and would be paid if it were a winning ticket,” they told me.
The US Sun has contacted the Ohio Lottery for comment.
However, the experience has turned Lester off from playing the state lottery game.
“I feel like I’ve been tricked,” he said.
It is uncertain whether Lester was ever awarded a prize.
The odds of winning a reward in the game are one in 4.06.
Prizes range between $2 and $5,000.
Lottery winnings: lump sum or annuity?
Players who win big on lottery tickets usually have a choice: lump sum or annuity.
The two payout options can affect the amount of money you receive from your award.
Annuities are paid out in modest installments, commonly over a 30-year period.
Lump amounts pay all at once, but in a reduced amount, because taxes are withheld all at once. This implies that Uncle Sam receives 24% of your award straight away. Many states tax wins as well.
Annuities can provide winners time to build the financial foundation needed to receive a life-changing amount of money, whereas lump payments are taxed only once.
Inflation is also something to consider while making a decision, as rewards do not adjust with the value of a dollar. That means you’ll likely receive less valuable money near the end of your annuity.
Prize payouts vary by state and game, so it’s important to check with your state lottery to confirm payment procedures. A financial counselor can also help you analyze the benefits and drawbacks of each strategy.
Experts differ on whether to take a lump amount or an annuity.
There are presently 35 top prizes available, according to the Ohio Lottery.
Lotto gamers have previously expressed disappointment after believing they had won hundreds.
In 2015, Ardella Newman of Virginia thought she had won $20,000, but a printing error left her unhappy.
She was left empty-handed since a ticket did not come out of the machine properly.
The ticket she purchased was not a winner, but the barcode on the bottom of the slip was.
Sometimes printing errors can be advantageous to the lottery player.
According to the Iowa Lottery, Josh Buster won a $1 million Powerball prize in 2022 as a result of a printing error.
He tried to purchase five easy-pick plays but was allowed a pass with only one on.
The store employee then asked Buster whether they could print four additional plays on a different ticket.
He informed the Iowa Lottery that he was startled when he discovered he had won large.