He misses his 5 million jackpot because… his son bought his lottery ticket!

Some people are more or less lucky than others, it's a fact. We all know someone who always has funny stories to tell. And when we talk about "unlucky people", we can say that Thomas Ward, this Californian family man, is part of this category of people. Why? Because he can't cash in the modest sum of $5 million and become a millionaire even though he holds the winning lottery ticket... The team at shoutmix.com™ explains the reasons behind this stroke of "bad luck" that is causing controversy in the United States.

A story that could happen to anyone

A few months ago, Thomas Ward, a father of a 16-year-old boy, asked his son to go to the local gas station in the neighborhood (Los Altos) to bring a dozen lottery tickets. The young man easily pocketed $330 in exchange for these few lottery tickets. He decided to take advantage of this stroke of luck to buy more gambling games, just like his father would have done.

muscle cars était gagnant. Ils se rendent donc dans le magasin pour réclamer leur prix. Dès qu’ils entrent, un employé s’approche d’eux et leur dit qu’ils doivent remplir un formulaire pour pouvoir récupérer la voiture. Ils sont ravis et remplissent rapidement tous les détails nécessaires. Enfin, ils reçoivent les clés et se dirigent vers leur tout nouveau véhicule. Ils montent à bord et se sentent comme les rois de la route. Ils explorent les différentes fonctions de la voiture et prennent plaisir à conduire autour de la ville. C'est une journée mémorable pour les deux amis. scratch games is the winner… and not just a few hundred dollars, but several million!

The head of the family therefore decides to go to the validation offices to validate this famous winning ticket. At first glance, nothing alarming... except that a few months later, it is impossible to cash in the winnings!

Why is the California Gaming Commission denying payment?

The Authority governing gambling in the United States, equivalent to our FDJ (English National Lottery), announces a few months later that the Wards are not able to cash in the 5 million dollars. The reason? Technicality.

Indeed, Calottery highlights the rule of majority: gambling games are prohibited for minors, including lottery and scratch cards. In the case of the Ward family, the winnings are canceled since it was the 16-year-old teenager who purchased the tickets...

How then to explain that the teenager was able to collect the $330, but also buy the game tickets without needing to present an ID? And how did Calottery know that it was the teenager and not the father?

A few days ago, Thomas Ward filed a complaint in the Superior Court of Los Angeles, stating in particular that both the Commission and the gas station had failed in their responsibilities. Not to mention the fact that Calottery's advertising campaigns in no way indicate a prohibition on minors playing games... A case to be closely followed!