Man Wins Rs 2,800 Crore Lottery, Finds Out Number Was Published By Mistake

A man from Washington, DC, who thought he had won the $340 million (more than Rs 2,800 crore) jackpot, has decided to sue Powerball and the DC Lottery. According to The Guardian, the man was denied the money because the game’s administrators stated that their website incorrectly displayed his winning combination.

John Cheeks purchased a lottery ticket on January 6, 2023, and despite missing the Powerball drawing the following day, he was surprised to discover that his numbers were listed on the DC Lottery’s website two days later. Both firms, however, claimed that his numbers were published by mistake, sparking a legal battle to determine the lottery winner.

“I got a little excited, but I didn’t shout, I didn’t scream. I just politely called a friend. I took a picture as he recommended, and that was it. I went to sleep,” Cheeks told NBC Washington. The numbers on his lottery ticket were a mix of family birthdays, anniversaries, and other numbers of personal significance. However, when Cheeks submitted his ticket to the Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG), his claim was rejected.

When he visited the OLG, he was told that the lottery ticket was “no good” and instructed to throw it away. “One of the claims agents told me my ticket was no good, just to throw it in the trash can,” Cheeks said to the BBC. Cheeks was unimpressed by the response and decided not to throw away the lottery ticket, instead filing a lawsuit against Powerball.

Cheeks’ lawsuit names the Multi-State Lottery Association and game contractor Taoti Enterprises as defendants, the report states. He is currently seeking $340 million in lottery damages, which includes the Powerball jackpot and the daily interest he would have earned, as per reports.

Cheeks decided to sue the company on eight separate counts, including among others, negligence, fraud, breach of contract, and infliction of emotional distress. His lawyer, Richard Evans, claims that because the winning numbers matched Cheeks’, he should be awarded the entire jackpot. Evans stressed that the issue is more than just numbers on a website. The next hearing in this matter is scheduled for February 23, 2024.