In Indianapolis, Indiana, Paul Marshall's lottery win turned into an unexpected ordeal.
After purchasing a Powerball ticket, Marshall was elated to discover he had won $50,000. However, his excitement was short-lived when a routine action by the store clerk led to an unforeseen complication.
Upon verifying the winning numbers at the store where he bought the ticket, the clerk, following standard procedure, tore up the ticket and provided Marshall with instructions to collect his prize at a payment office.
Unbeknownst to both, this act would create a significant hurdle for Marshall. At the payment office, he was informed that the original ticket was required to claim the prize, leaving him with only torn pieces as proof of his win.
According to Local12, the situation escalated to the Hoosier Lottery Commission, which convened on November 28 to deliberate on Marshall's case.
After hearing his account and consulting with the clerk who tore the ticket, as well as reviewing the store's security footage, the commission was able to verify the legitimacy of Marshall's claim.
In a unanimous decision, the commission members approved the payout, with Chuck Taylor, the lottery’s director of legal affairs and compliance, acknowledging the unique circumstances that allowed for the resolution of the case.
Contrastingly, Drena Harris, another lottery winner, faced a different fate. Harris, who won $500 from a scratch-off, shared her winning ticket on Facebook, only to fall victim to a scam.
An individual used her posted photo to deceive a store clerk into handing over the prize money. Despite her efforts to claim the prize, the Hoosier Lottery Commission denied her request for a second payout. Harris filed an appeal, but with the store where she purchased her ticket now out of business and no evidence available, her chances of reclaiming her prize seemed bleak. Taylor expressed the commission's reluctance in such cases, emphasizing the impossibility of paying out the same prize twice.
