INDIANAPOLIS – An Indiana man received a huge shock when he found out he’d won the lottery, then got another when he realized the ticket he needed to claim his prize was in pieces.
When Paul Marshall returned in November to the store where he bought his winning Powerball ticket, the clerk confirmed the matching numbers through the lottery terminal.
Out of habit, the clerk then ripped up the ticket and printed out instructions for Marshall to receive his $50,000 prize at a payment office.
But when he arrived and presented the instructions, employees told him they had to see his original ticket in order for him to claim the money.
The Hoosier Lottery Commission discussed the situation at a meeting on Nov. 28 after Marshall explained the story.
Officials announced they were able to confirm it after talking with the clerk who tore the ticket and reviewing security footage from the store.
The five commission members voted unanimously to approve the payout.
“This was a fortunate event where we were able to reconstruct what happened,” said Chuck Taylor, the lottery’s director of legal affairs and compliance.
However, another woman who had trouble cashing out wasn’t so lucky.
Drena Harris won $500 from a scratch-off, posting a picture of her winning ticket on Facebook.
Before she could claim her prize, someone used the photo to scam a store clerk into giving them the money.
Retailers that participate in the Hoosier Lottery are allowed to pay out lottery prizes of up to $600.
The commission refused to pay another $500. She eventually filed an appeal of the decision with a judge.
By then, the store where she bought her ticket had gone out of business, and there was no evidence to review.
