Claim Form Lottery Customer

[purplecat41877]

On Sunday, a customer came in with a lottery ticket. I checked the ticket on the ticket checker and it told me the amount won and that a claim form would need to be filled out. I got the front end manager but she was busy helping with a spill. I put the ticket through the lottery machine and it told me to fill out a claim form and not pay the customer.
The customer was saying that a claim form shouldn't have to be filled out for that amount of money. He even said that recently brought in a winning ticket with a higher amount and he didn't need to fill out a claim form then. I ended up getting the assistant store director who informed the customer that I needed to go by what the lottery machine said. The front end manager ended up making copies of the papers that came out of the lottery machine.
It turned out that the ticket was over 6 months old and needed a claim form because of the amount won. The ticket with the higher amount didn't need a claim form because it was less than 6 months old and wasn't high enough to need a claim form.
The customer kept saying he was going to report this. He even insisted on his money but he was informed that we couldn't do it then so he left with his copy of the claim form and without the money.

[Kristev]

6 months? And he expected to be paid?

[purplecat41877]

He did but the claim center will be paying him once they process the form. Then he'll receive a check in the mail in a few weeks.

[RealUnimportant]

The number of big jackpots that go unclaimed for long times, or expire entirely, never ceases to surprise me.

[EricKei]

RU - I'm fairly certain that the lottery companies (the ones supplying the tickets, not the retail stores) are banking on exactly that. They can say that people have won $X over the years, even if not all of it has actually been collected.

[RealUnimportant]

Oh I'm sure. Our lottery is run as a national non-profit, so anything that goes unclaimed ends up going to charities, but even so the number of multi-million payouts that don't get picked up... Lost, forgotten tickets, random numbers people don't think to look up, probably also someone winning way more than they expected and scared of the consequences.

[Mike Taylor]

Rules are rules. I hope he gets with the program.

[taxguykarl]

In most states, lottery tickets are valid for a year. More than once I found old tickets (6 to 10 months) while cleaning. Never any significant winners.

[workerbee222]

If someone was especially smart, one may take the time to consult a lawyer to protect winnings from friends or ne'r do well relatives before claiming a prize.

It may take time to find the *right* lawyer. too.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...d-fraud-mafia/

[Kittykat]

I'm so glad I live in a state where if you win you can claim it anonymously, I've never understood having to claim it with your real name and picture in the media. All that does is put a target on someone's back.

[Kit-Ginevra]

On Sunday, a customer came in a lottery ticket..

Ewwww Bad customer!

[Ironclad Alibi]

I'm so glad I live in a state where if you win you can claim it anonymously, I've never understood having to claim it with your real name and picture in the media. All that does is put a target on someone's back.

I think it is done that way so they advertise winners happen. makes more people inclined to buy lottery tickets. Supposedly.

[csquared]

I think it is done that way so they advertise winners happen. makes more people inclined to buy lottery tickets. Supposedly.

It's also done for transparency. Don't want people claiming that the winners are fictitious or it is rigged.