'The dog ate my lottery ticket'

Oct 6, 2006, 12:45 pm (20 comments)

Powerball

With the largest Powerball jackpot ever won in Iowa, there were several ticket-holders who had wishful thinking.

The Iowa Lottery said Wednesday that since the winning numbers were drawn it has been flooded with callers trying to explain why they were winners but could not produce their winning ticket.

"We had already validated the ticket. I was still receiving phone calls saying, 'Are you sure that is their ticket. Are you sure that's the winning ticket?'" said the Iowa Lottery's Tina Potthoff.

Iowa Lottery CEO Ed Stanek said a Minnesota woman who was traveling through Iowa said she left her ticket on her car's dashboard while she was in the store and her dog ate her ticket.

"The longer it takes for the winner to come forward, the more people are going to wonder, 'Was that me?'" Potthoff said.

Stanek said another person told the lottery that he left his winning ticket in the truck he was driving for work, but he could no longer get to the ticket because he no longer worked for the company.

Another man who contacted the lottery didn't remember much about his ticket.

"He left his ticket in his hotel room, but couldn't remember what city he was in, the name of the hotel nor the store, nor the date (of when he bought it)," Stanek said.

Another man called the lottery, claiming that he burned the winning ticket with some other trash when he cleaned out a car.

"He couldn't remember the details of the purchase or the day that it took place because he'd had a head injury nine years earlier and it affected his memory," Stanek said.

AP

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RJOh's avatarRJOh

I could have had a story just as silly last evening for the Ohio Rolling Cash5 and it would have been true. 

I played 15 lines on three cards and I noticed the clerk had trouble with one of the cards and punched in the numbers manually. When I checked my tickets after the drawings my computer showed I should have matched 3 for $10 on one ticket and matched 2 on the third ticket for $1 but the clerk had punched in all the numbers one number back for that card. 

I rechecked my cards and they all were made out correctly, it just that the terminal didn't read the last one and the clerk tried to be helpful.  That mistake cost me the lost of $1 but I might have felt worst had I lost the $183K jackpot.  Having a card with all the right numbers marked proves nothing.

four4me

RJOH use a black magic marker the next time..

guesser's avatarguesser

"He couldn't remember the details of the purchase or the day that it took place because he'd had a head injury nine years earlier and it affected his memory," Stanek said.

 

 

Yet he could remember that he bought a ticket............ 

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Quote: Originally posted by four4me on Oct 6, 2006

RJOH use a black magic marker the next time..

I buy 12pack of Sharpie black permanent markers and always use them to mark my cards but some times the terminal get marks within them that effect their ability to read a card.

justxploring's avatarjustxploring

Iowa Lottery CEO Ed Stanek said a Minnesota woman who was traveling through Iowa said she left her ticket on her car's dashboard while she was in the store and her dog ate her ticket.

LOL!!  I've heard "my dog ate my homework, but never this excuse."   Regarding the ability to read cards, I've had the same problem.  Scary story about the clerk punching in the numbers.  That happened to me last year at 7-11. I stopped buying tickets at that store because of the numerous times something went wrong. The man was just trying to me helpful, but I wish he had simply told me the card wasn't read and I would have filled out a new one. I think the jackpot was $25 million and, as I've said many times, I use the same cards, so I know my numbers by heart. I would have dropped dead if my personal numbers had been drawn that night and he entered the wrong ones. It's so unlikely that would ever happen, but this is why I always check the slips before I leave the counter.

DoubleDown

Lately, all my lottery tickets have been dogs.........

woof woof

justxploring's avatarjustxploring

Quote: Originally posted by DoubleDown on Oct 6, 2006

Lately, all my lottery tickets have been dogs.........

woof woof

Well I hope you win DD and get a better leash on life.  (groan)  I'd sure like to hear you have a happier tail to tell. (bigger groan)  I think your time is very near...I can feel it in my bones. (even worse groan..."pun"ishment)

BTW, if you do win, I hope you don't mind if I hound you for a little money.  Or am I barking up the wrong tree? 

Skylaquisha

So dumb...but I guess they figure it's worth a try.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Quote: Originally posted by justxploring on Oct 6, 2006

Iowa Lottery CEO Ed Stanek said a Minnesota woman who was traveling through Iowa said she left her ticket on her car's dashboard while she was in the store and her dog ate her ticket.

LOL!!  I've heard "my dog ate my homework, but never this excuse."   Regarding the ability to read cards, I've had the same problem.  Scary story about the clerk punching in the numbers.  That happened to me last year at 7-11. I stopped buying tickets at that store because of the numerous times something went wrong. The man was just trying to me helpful, but I wish he had simply told me the card wasn't read and I would have filled out a new one. I think the jackpot was $25 million and, as I've said many times, I use the same cards, so I know my numbers by heart. I would have dropped dead if my personal numbers had been drawn that night and he entered the wrong ones. It's so unlikely that would ever happen, but this is why I always check the slips before I leave the counter.

It's likely you would lose with either set of numbers but I think you would have a better chance of winning with your own numbers then with the numbers some clerk punched in by mistake.

LOTTOMIKE's avatarLOTTOMIKE

when i first read this i thought it said...

"the dog ate my breakfast ticket"  lol

Dr Lottery's avatarDr Lottery

Quote: Originally posted by LOTTOMIKE on Oct 6, 2006

when i first read this i thought it said...

"the dog ate my breakfast ticket"  lol

wishful thinking

awwcrap's avatarawwcrap

arrrrooooooo

sirbrad's avatarsirbrad

Could be a bunch of cons also trying anything they can to get the jackpot. If you play the lottery and are irresponsible with your ticket, and do not expect to win, then you don't deserve to anyway. In 16 years of playing I have never once misplaced a ticket, or lost one. Not even a Pick 3 ticket. So there is no excuse except stupidity.

dingo's avatardingo

Quote: Originally posted by sirbrad on Oct 6, 2006

Could be a bunch of cons also trying anything they can to get the jackpot. If you play the lottery and are irresponsible with your ticket, and do not expect to win, then you don't deserve to anyway. In 16 years of playing I have never once misplaced a ticket, or lost one. Not even a Pick 3 ticket. So there is no excuse except stupidity.

you're right. Do they expect lottery offical to believe that.

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