$500,000 Ticket Appears to be Misprint

[sox 06]

OCALA, Fla. (AP) - The Florida Lottery is refusing to pay a $500,000 prize until it can inspect the $20 scratch-off ticket, which officials said Thursday appears to be a misprint.

Joe Curcio, 56, says he got the ticket at a service plaza Sunday on Florida's Turnpike.

The Gold Rush ticket has the numeral 1 on the top row and a numeral 1 above the $500,000 scratch-off piece, making the ticket appear to be a winner. But when Curcio had it scanned, the ticket's bar code indicated it wasn't.

Curcio, who owns a used car dealership, said lottery officials told him the top number actually was a "13" that was misprinted.

"They're saying it's a misprint. How do I know it's a misprint?" he asked. He has hired an attorney to press his claim.

Lottery spokeswoman Jacqueline Barreiros said Curcio still needed to turn over the ticket for a full inspection.

"We can't say whether we will pay the jackpot or not until we go through the process," she said.

[Lofunzo]

If it is truly a misprint, this could get interesting.

[stomperrob]

Lottery officials said Tuesday afternoon that they still weren't sure what happened, and that further analysis of the ticket could help pinpoint the problem.
"We normally put it through a forensic test to ensure the integrity of the ticket," said Jacqueline Barreiros, director of public affairs for the Florida Lottery. "We have not been able to do this, because unfortunately Mr. Curcio won't let us have the ticket."

Hmm - suppose he might have altered the ticket, but then who ever heard of a dishonest used car salesman!

[joelamosobadiah]

Lottery officials said Tuesday afternoon that they still weren't sure what happened, and that further analysis of the ticket could help pinpoint the problem.
"We normally put it through a forensic test to ensure the integrity of the ticket," said Jacqueline Barreiros, director of public affairs for the Florida Lottery. "We have not been able to do this, because unfortunately Mr. Curcio won't let us have the ticket."

Hmm - suppose he might have altered the ticket, but then who ever heard of a dishonest used car salesman!

Nice. I didn't even connect the dots.

[sox 06]

I'd be really ticked off if I won $500,000 then later find out the ticket was a fake