Man denied $5 million lottery win

[OccamsToothbrush]

If they were less of assholes they could at very least work something out so that he can't get the money until the kid is of age or something like that.

No. No. And HELL NO.

 

[Sgt. York]

Zero sympathy for them.

 

[BUTCH1]

Zero sympathy for them.

Why?, remember as a teen my Dad would have me running errands galore, it's part of being a teenager. He wasn't getting the kid involved with gambling, he just went into the store to buy the tickets. Guess on a payout that large they automatically look at everything, seems like they found an excuse not to reward the prize and hung with it.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Why?, remember as a teen my Dad would have me running errands galore, it's part of being a teenager. He wasn't getting the kid involved with gambling, he just went into the store to buy the tickets. Guess on a payout that large they automatically look at everything, seems like they found an excuse not to reward the prize and hung with it.

dpoesn`t it state right on the lottery ticket in the small print on the back -- something about minors?? Also I mwould bet part of the process of determining if the sale was legit would be to view the stores security camera footage of the sale! Customer -- 0 lottery commission -- 1

 

[Red Squirrel]

What I think is ridiculous is that they sold it in first place. They should not have sold it if they would just turn around and deny a win anyway.

I guess to be safe if anyone buys a lotto ticket they should make sure there are no kids involved at all anywhere in the process. Like even a random kid standing in line might be risky because they could try to say it's your kid and you were buying it for them.

My grandma used to buy us kids scratch tickets all the time for Christmas. Only issue I ever had is if I won and it was a free play they would not let me have the free play, so I would just go with my mom and then I'd be able to get it. Even if they knew it's for me (a minor at the time) they don't care because an adult is present.

 

[Paladin3]

If they were less of assholes they could at very least work something out so that he can't get the money until the kid is of age or something like that. What a kick in the face to lose out on that much money "because the rules are the rules". I remember going to check lotto tickets for my parents as a kid. They'd send me to the corner store to get pop or whatever and give me some tickets to check. We won a couple grand once and nobody batted an eye in the process and my parents got the money. There is probably something in the fine print about a minor handling the tickets in any way but nobody was that stingy. that was probably like 25 years ago mind you. Now days society is more law obsessed.

It's been explain many times in this thread that it is illegal for minors to gamble. Minors can't legally buy lottery tickets. Period. It's a good law and not one the state can or should ignore.

When dad said he had sent his underage son in to buy the ticket he admitted to committing a crime. Then he sued to try and get paid? He's lucky he wasn't prosecuted for letting his underage son gamble.

 

[Paladin3]

Everyone but Paladin3 (so it seems) would be pissed. Of course, in the real world the State of California just doesn't want to have to pay out the 5 million. Bullshit.

Who wouldn't be pissed at wasting a $5 million dollar winning ticket by purchasing it illegally. And it would be human nature to do everything to try and collect, even commit fraud and claim it was your ticket and not your minor son who had purchased it.

But that doesn't mean the state of California is somehow morally corrupt for following the very strict law that prohibits minors from gambling. Sorry if you folks can't or won't see that.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It's been explain many times in this thread that it is illegal for minors to gamble. Minors can't legally buy lottery tickets. Period. It's a good law and not one the state can or should ignore.

When dad said he had sent his underage son in to buy the ticket he admitted to committing a crime. Then he sued to try and get paid? He's lucky he wasn't prosecuted for letting his underage son gamble.

Then they should not have sold it to the minor in first place. The place that sold it should be the one getting in trouble. Technically the kid just bought it on behalf of his dad so it's still ridiculous either way. It was his dad's money. His dad could have been the one that bought it with the kid beside him, there is no difference in outcome. At the end of the day, the dad has a ticket. This is just a silly technicality.

 

[Paladin3]

Why?, remember as a teen my Dad would have me running errands galore, it's part of being a teenager. He wasn't getting the kid involved with gambling, he just went into the store to buy the tickets. Guess on a payout that large they automatically look at everything, seems like they found an excuse not to reward the prize and hung with it.

Not sure following the law that prohibits minors from gambling is an "excuse." The state cannot legally award the win.

 

[Paladin3]

What I think is ridiculous is that they sold it in first place. They should not have sold it if they would just turn around and deny a win anyway.

I guess to be safe if anyone buys a lotto ticket they should make sure there are no kids involved at all anywhere in the process. Like even a random kid standing in line might be risky because they could try to say it's your kid and you were buying it for them.

My grandma used to buy us kids scratch tickets all the time for Christmas. Only issue I ever had is if I won and it was a free play they would not let me have the free play, so I would just go with my mom and then I'd be able to get it. Even if they knew it's for me (a minor at the time) they don't care because an adult is present.

You are being willfully ignorant at this point. What is so hard to understand about it being illegal for a minor to buy a lottery ticket. How does that have anything to do with what happens around your tree at Christmas time? To be "safe" in your words, an adult has to actually buy the ticket. Not that adult's minor child.

It's very possible the particular vendor got whatever infraction is warranted for selling the ticket to a minor, similar to if they had sold him cigarettes or alcohol. That's the law.

 

[Paladin3]

Then they should not have sold it to the minor in first place. The place that sold it should be the one getting in trouble. Technically the kid just bought it on behalf of his dad so it's still ridiculous either way. It was his dad's money. His dad could have been the one that bought it with the kid beside him, there is no difference in outcome. At the end of the day, the dad has a ticket. This is just a silly technicality.

Correct, the vendor should not have sold the ticket. And they probably suffered whatever the penalty is for doing so. But following the law that prohibits minors from gambling is not a technicality as you keep insisting, so the state could not legally award the win.

I can keep explaining it to you, but can't understand it for you. Sorry. I'm out.

EDIT: don't get me wrong, the situation sucks big time for the guy and his kid. I just don't agree with those of you who feel they somehow got cheated by the state.

 

[Red Squirrel]

They did get cheated by the fact that the purchase of the ticket was allowed and then the winnings denied. The purchase should not have been allowed in first place and the dad should have been the one to have to come back and purchase it. The selectively enforced the law in a way for them to get screwed over. But there is also the fact that the kid bought it, and should not have been allowed to, but since he was allowed, and the ticket then ended up in the hands of the adult, and the adult is the one that paid for it, at that point it should have been determined that the kid was only buying it on behalf of the adult, and end it there. It's called being reasonable.

 

[Paladin3]

My point is that this law is ridiculous, what is the difference between a kid getting it as a gift or buying it? What is the harm? It's not like it's a gun or something. Laws like this are ridiculous and nany state BS. They exist everywhere and people just agree with them but if you really think about it, what is even the purpose? What is it trying to prevent? Kids from blowing their allowance on lottery tickets? Who cares? If they are irresponsible that should be on them. We need less laws that are only there for the sake of protecting people from themselves.

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"

If you can't see why minors shouldn't be allowed to gamble in the state lottery then I can't help you.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

It's been explain many times in this thread that it is illegal for minors to gamble. Minors can't legally buy lottery tickets. Period. It's a good law and not one the state can or should ignore.

When dad said he had sent his underage son in to buy the ticket he admitted to committing a crime. Then he sued to try and get paid? He's lucky he wasn't prosecuted for letting his underage son gamble.

There is a difference between an 8 year old buying a lottery with their allowance money. and this...

There is also a difference between a 16 year old working at a job and trying to buy one by themself...


And then there is this - simply sending your son/daughter to the counter to complete the transaction with your own money. I mean ultimately, I don't hold much sympathy, but I also don't really agree with disqualification.

 

[Tweak155]

Hope the dad got the money back on the 5 tickets bought though, I'm sure the state didn't have a problem taking the money!

 

[Ichinisan]

ugh huge dilemma. if there has to be an age restriction, then ID need to be checked at time of purchase, otherwise, people are unknowingly buying into something they cant win. that is very deceptive, and its probably by design because less people may play lotto if they can't send their kid in to get some tickets while they fill up gas.

I know of people who are not US citizens and some who are in the country illegally, still buying lottery tickets all the time. I don't know if they ever tried to claim a prize.

 

[Paladin3]

Hope the dad got the money back on the 5 tickets bought though, I'm sure the state didn't have a problem taking the money!

I'm just going to leave this here for those of you who still don't get it.

"CALIFORNIA

Lottery: California has a complete set of restrictions, typical of the state lotteries that have addressed youth gambling:

(a) No tickets or shares in Lottery Games shall be sold to persons under the age of 18 years. Any person who knowingly sells a ticket or share in a Lottery Game to a person under the age of 18 years is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any person under the age of 18 years who buys a ticket or share in a Lottery is guilty of a misdemeanor. In the case of Lottery tickets or shares sold by Lottery Game Retailers or their employees, these persons shall establish safeguards to assure that the sales are not made to persons under the age of 18 years. In the case of the dispensing of tickets or shares by vending machines or other devices, the Commission shall establish safeguards to help assure that the vending machines or devices are not operated by persons under the age of 18 years.

(b) All tickets or shares in Lottery Games shall include, and any devices which dispense tickets or shares in Lottery Games shall have posted in a conspicuous place thereupon, a notice which declares that state law prohibits the selling of a Lottery ticket or share to, and the payment of any prize to, a person under the age of 18 years.

California Government Code §8880.52.

"No prize shall be paid to any person under the age of 18 years." Id. §8880.32."

 

[Paladin3]

I know of people who are not US citizens and some who are in the country illegally, still buying lottery tickets all the time. I don't know if they ever tried to claim a prize.

You don't have to be a citizen to win the lottery, so long as you are of age.

https://blog.vitalchek.com/vitalchek-blogs/can-non-u-s-citizen-win-lottery/

 

[BUTCH1]

Not sure following the law that prohibits minors from gambling is an "excuse." The state cannot legally award the win.

Yea, I did a bit more reading and the gas station owner said the 16yr p;d showed a fake ID in visits prior, who knows who's telling the truth. There's a lotto vending machine where I shop, (FL), no one watches it, I've seeen underage kids around it many times. Camera and photo saving are cheap features to implement these days, from the state's point any ticket worth big bucks is probably really scrutinized before payout in all states, if a minor bought it, tough shit, you forfeit.

 

[Red Squirrel]

We all know of the law, the point we are trying to make is there is a thing called being reasonable. Given the circumstances they could have been reasonable, knowing that the ticket was actually the dad's and the kid just physically picked it up on his behalf. It's not like the kid walked into a casino and totally cleaned out the poker table.

To keep to the law, what should have happened is the kid should have been denied buying the ticket in first place. End of story. If you have a law saying you can't be under aged to buy a lottery ticket, then don't let a kid buy under age in first place. Pretty sure that's how it works here and most other places. For whatever reason California likes to do things weirdly.

 

[JEDI]

To keep to the law, what should have happened is the kid should have been denied buying the ticket in first place. End of story. If you have a law saying you can't be under aged to buy a lottery ticket, then don't let a kid buy under age in first place. Pretty sure that's how it works here and most other places. For whatever reason California likes to do things weirdly.

red,

since you're from Canada, you're not understanding this.
yes, its illegal for underage to buy lotto tix but minimum wage workers work in the retail stores.
these workers don't know the law, don't care and/or the kid looks old enough. (in the States, people only card for alcohol and cigarettes.)

these retail stores are not corporate owned lotto stores.
they're gas stations, 7-11, wawa, or even mom and pop convenience stores.

 

[Red Squirrel]

red,

since you're from Canada, you're not understanding this.
yes, its illegal for underage to buy lotto tix but minimum wage workers work in the retail stores.
these workers don't know the law, don't care and/or the kid looks old enough. (in the States, people only card for alcohol and cigarettes.)

these retail stores are not corporate owned lotto stores.
they're gas stations, 7-11, wawa, or even mom and pop convenience stores.

It's the same thing here you can buy tickets at corner store, grocery store and lot of random places, except they have to ask for ID. Same thing with cigarettes etc. I get asked most of the time myself when buying a ticket even though I'm usually way older than the cashier lol.

 

[JEDI]

It's the same thing here you can buy tickets at corner store, grocery store and lot of random places, except they have to ask for ID. Same thing with cigarettes etc. I get asked most of the time myself when buying a ticket even though I'm usually way older than the cashier lol.

then why are you so hung up on 'if they're not going to pay him the $5M, then they shouldn't have let the kid buy the lotto tix in the 1st place'?

the lotto commission has no direct control over the min wage retail workers

 

[Red Squirrel]

then why are you so hung up on 'if they're not going to pay him the $5M, then they shouldn't have let the kid buy the lotto tix in the 1st place'?

the lotto commission has no direct control over the min wage retail workers

Because it's ridiculous to allow someone to get to the point where they win, and then deny them the money. It's a huge kick in the face. I don't care who has control over what, the fact remains that the law allowed the kid to get the ticket, and then denied the dad the winnings just because the kid happened to be the one that physically handed over the dad's money.

Imagine you win a trip to some place but there's a bunch of forms you have to fill out and other stuff you need to do in order to claim it. You do all that, submit it and it gets approved, hop on a plane, and then go to said trip, only to be told that you are not illegible as there was some fine print somewhere.

 

[BUTCH1]

Because it's ridiculous to allow someone to get to the point where they win, and then deny them the money. It's a huge kick in the face. I don't care who has control over what, the fact remains that the law allowed the kid to get the ticket, and then denied the dad the winnings just because the kid happened to be the one that physically handed over the dad's money.

Imagine you win a trip to some place but there's a bunch of forms you have to fill out and other stuff you need to do in order to claim it. You do all that, submit it and it gets approved, hop on a plane, and then go to said trip, only to be told that you are not illegible as there was some fine print somewhere.

I don't see why a check of it's purchase is even needed, if the buyer is not sought by any warrants or is not legally in the US then it should just be paid with proper identification.