John Cheeks says his numbers matched the D.C. Lottery website. After claiming the website numbers were wrong, lottery authorities refused his award, NBC News says.
On Jan. 6, 2023, Cheeks bought the Powerball ticket for Jan. 7. On Jan. 8, he was shocked to find his numbers match. “I got a little excited, but I didn’t shout or scream,” Cheeks said. “I politely called a friend. He advised me to take a photo, and I did. I slept.
Cheeks was disappointed when the D.C. Lottery online numbers did not match the January 7th Powerball drawing.
The D.C. Lottery website displayed Cheeks' numbers and the $340 million Powerball prize for three days, according to his lawsuit. He learned lottery contractor Taoti Enterprises posted the erroneous numbers.
NBC News offers more:
Cheeks claims in his complaint that a licensed store rejected his ticket redemption. Cheeks alleges he was denied again at the D.C. Lottery and Gaming award center. A claims employee also asked, he says.
“This ticket is invalid. “Just throw it in the trash,” Cheeks added. I looked at him sternly. ‘In the garbage can?’ Yes, toss it away. No pay. The garbage can is there.
Cheeks consulted a lawyer instead of tossing the ticket.
“They have said that one of their contractors made a mistake,” said Cheeks' attorney, Richard Evans. “I haven’t seen the evidence to support that yet.”
He asked, “What do you do about that?” if a mistake was made. We have a precedent in Iowa, where a contractor confessed a mistake and paid the prizes.