John Cheeks, a resident of Washington, D.C., believed he had won a $340 million jackpot, but the lottery companies - Powerball and DC Lottery - informed him that it was a "website error" and his winnings were canceled. In response, the American went to court. This was reported by UNN with reference to the BBC.
Details
Going to bed a millionaire and waking up penniless is what happened to John Chicks, a US resident who thought he had won $340 million in the lottery. However, the next day, he received a message stating that there was a "website error" and that the multi-million dollar prize numbers were not winning.
The man sued Powerball and the DC Lottery, which refuse to pay for the ticket purchased by the lottery winner in January 2023. Mr. Chicks claims that his numbers appeared on the website of the Washington Lottery. The company continues to insist that it was a mistake on the website, not the official numbers.
However, the man kept the ticket, found a lawyer, and is now demanding compensation from lottery companies for the jackpot, as well as the interest he could have received from it every day - a total of $340 million.
How the "incredible" lottery glitch happened
According to court documents, Powerball and the lottery contractor, Taoti Enterprises, a Washington-based company, claim that the confusion was caused by a technical error.
In a court filing, one of Taoti's employees said that on January 6, 2023, the day Chicks bought his ticket, the quality control team was conducting tests on the website. According to court documents, a set of test Powerball numbers that matched Chicks' numbers were "accidentally" posted on the site that day. These numbers remained online for three days, until January 9.
The lawyer of the lottery "winner" Richard Evans stated that since the winning numbers matched Chicks', his client is entitled to "the entire jackpot". Otherwise, Evans argues, Chicks is entitled to damages for the lottery's "gross negligence" in posting the wrong lottery numbers.
Recall
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy has supported a government draft law that proposes to liquidate the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL).
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