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NewCanadianMTurker t1_j9z0gma wrote

"Jose Rivera, claims that he purchased the ticket from Joe’s Service Center on or around Nov. 7, 2022, and that it was stolen from him by a man he knows only as “Reggie.”

Rivera alleges that he tried to get the ticket back from Reggie after the winning number was announced on Nov. 8, 2022, but that Reggie refused to do so and tried to blackmail Rivera into splitting the winnings by threatening to destroy the ticket."

Eh, sounds like a pretty unlikely story.

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Literature-South t1_j9zdh8r wrote

My guess is that they have the time and place the winning ticket was sold, and they have him on camera purchasing the ticket at the time and place. No one's going to give 2 Billion to someone without some verification on their part.

My guess is that this is 100% legit.

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scrivensB t1_j9zosrl wrote

How do they even verify this stuff.

Since most places (I think) won’t sell lottery tickets via CC/debit card, they can’t verify a transaction that way.

And I assume most places have a security camera these days, but the quality is likely garbage a ton of the time, and I’d be surprised if they keep video footage for more than a few days before recording over it.

I guess in the last few years camera and cloud storage have problem improved that, but liquor stores/gas stations aren’t exactly known for keeping up with technological advancement.

This makes me wonder what the process is of during verification they see that the person who purchased the winning ticket and the person who has the winning ticket after the drawing are not the same.

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stoneasaurusrex t1_j9zq4nc wrote

The lottery system is pretty extensive in itself, even tho cash purchases are the main way for lottery they still track it by the machine it was printed from, serial number, an individual number assigned to each ticket, and the bar code printed on each ticket. (I'm sure there's other ways I'm not privy to but these are the major ones I know)

And with every gas station now being able to load their feed up to the cloud instead of individual hard drives. It makes it easier to find out who purchased at ticket based on the info gathered from the ticket.

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Dythiese t1_j9zx1uf wrote

Seriously. Remember the last big powerball drawing not even two months ago? They postponed the drawing for almost a full day because of an error with one state's lottery system being out of sync.

Any possible irregularities will launch so, so many lawsuits. They run an extremely tight ship to prevent that nightmare scenario.

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SidewaysFancyPrance t1_ja0ppjk wrote

The ticket seller gets a percentage of the win, so it's in their best interests to help resolve this ASAP.

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[deleted] t1_ja1v9f9 wrote

[deleted]

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stoneasaurusrex t1_ja2pkcm wrote

I guess you haven't heard of these cool new things called video cameras. Theyre these cool little things that record images of whats going on in gas stations and other establishments that allows them to check the timestamp info gathered from the ticket to be able to track down who bought it and when.

And luckily gas stations and other businesses no longer need to keep tons of video tapes or even their own hard drives because you can upload this neat video to the cloud to be reviewed later.

Not sure how you seem to be the only one unable to sus that out but there's your explanation

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[deleted] t1_ja36z0y wrote

[deleted]

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thetasigma_1355 t1_ja3aywu wrote

You are also going to have vehicle information in most situations. So if he drove to the gas station, they also have his vehicle info which would be easily verifiable as a vehicle he owns, which he got out of and bought the ticket.

Also the fact that zero other people are claiming the ticket is fairly significant.

And this is all a huge assumption that the camera doesn’t clearly show it’s him.

2

washington_jefferson t1_ja3pphz wrote

Oh, I wasn’t talking about this case. The Reggie guy does not exist. I was arguing against the user who said investigators have tons of ways to verify it was certainly a specific person even though they used cash. I was just adding that they could be walking (not sure why everyone keeps mentioning gas stations- normal corner markets are common), and that the camera might show the person looks and dresses like most people in the area.

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stoneasaurusrex t1_ja3eeii wrote

There's tons of ways to verify the info besides seeing someone's face on the camera, theres license plates, you can identify clothing if you wanna go the covered face route, you can check multiple cameras in the area if they say they walked and didn't take a car, and those are just the obvious ways I personally can think of, so I imagine people whose actual job it is to investigate these things has other ways besides the obvious.

The lottery system isn't afraid to do an investigation to verify things it's literally their job, and the fact that not only the lotto winner, but also the convenience store it was sold from gets a cash prize. It's not that hard figure out who's lying about what based on how easily everyone involved would cooperate.

1

washington_jefferson t1_ja3nmp2 wrote

I’m just saying there are plenty of street corner bodegas in my area. Cash only for lotto. Many people that buy lotto tickets are poor, and they don’t even have cars. Sometimes there are no neighboring businesses- just old houses that definitely don’t have Ring cameras. Lots of these junkies that buy lotto tickets look the same- baggy clothing, and wearing a hat with a hoodie on top. Probably even wearing sunglasses inside the market no matter the time of day. Basically Jesse Pinkman prototypes from Breaking Bad. No snitching culture is rampant.

Not a big deal though. If you possess the ticket, and you at least match the profile- you should obviously get the money. Any other scenario is just speculation or hypothetical. No entering of a debit pin, no use of a credit card, no license plate, generic profile that matches 70% of the street profile, cash payment- no DNA 🧬!

As for the hold up in payment, there is no disclaimer that says you can’t buy a lotto ticket in cash, while walking, while obscuring your face on camera, and look like a certain profile.

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MaxillaryOvipositor t1_ja0eev9 wrote

You can use debit but not credit. In Colorado, anyway.

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Bouric87 t1_ja1je0m wrote

I don't think it's a legality thing it's just store policy. The profit on selling lottery tickets is only 5.5%. Many credit cards charge more than that as a service fee to the store. It's just a financial decision.

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5zepp t1_ja2yq02 wrote

Most states don't allow credit purchases of lottery products because of gambling addicts going into debt.

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gmen6981 t1_ja0shtp wrote

Here in Ohio it's store by store. Some places allow any method of payment, others are cash only. It's usually the smaller "mom and pop" type stores that require cash because retailers are required to keep a certain amount of cash available in order to cash winning scratch offs etc.....

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Morat20 t1_ja0hlpq wrote

As mentioned in the article -- store cameras if they have it -- I think some of the self-serve machines have cameras and snap stills like ATMs do as well.

Then some simple stuff like --- where you even in that area geographically at the time the ticket was sold, etc. Like if you're Bob from Newark claiming you won a ticket in Sacramento, they're gonna be more skeptical than if you live 6 blocks from the store it was sold at.

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DefinitelyNotAliens t1_ja0ixpl wrote

Cameras. Even if the cameras suck they can look at it and go, 'okay, that is a late model white Accord at time of purchase, you drive one.' Boom. Done. Bob claims he bought the ticket - look over and there's no car of his there, or anyone remotely close.

Debit cards can buy them. Sync transactions, etc.

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fishrunhike t1_ja30eej wrote

Man, banks aren't even known for keeping up with technological advances lol I see local PD posting suspect photos from bank robberies around the region and they're still terrible quality. The cost must not outweigh the costs of losing money in a robbery

1

Bodach42 t1_ja064ci wrote

Is it their place to even care shouldn't this be more a police investigation first if there is an allegations of it being stolen and they'd look into it.

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DefinitelyNotAliens t1_ja0ih00 wrote

They vette the ticket winners pretty thoroughly when the prizes are that big. They don't care if nobody contests it. They don't hand over hundreds of millions without confirmation, first.

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Trance354 t1_ja8lb71 wrote

Having been employed at a store where a large jackpot was won, I can tell you that the lottery commission has gone over the footage with a fine-toothed comb.

Did you know the lottery machines have a camera in them? I didn't know, either. They caught one of our employees stealing from customers.

"One ticket for the customer, one ticket for myself..." He charged the customer 2x and said the fees went up.

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Literature-South t1_jaa0w7n wrote

Insane. Also sounds like your coworker was a real idiot. That lie is easily disproven by a simple google search.

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Trance354 t1_jaa9qhh wrote

Old customers. My company was waiting for him to cross the felony threshold, after which he was escorted from the building to a waiting squad car. Misdemeanors can be left off his next job application. Not so much for felonies.

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Literature-South t1_jaaly7g wrote

Unpopular opinion, but that seems pretty unethical to me, regardless of how unethical this guy was. Hurting the guy's ability to support himself or a family for his whole life... Sure he's a piece of shit now, but people change.

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Trance354 t1_jab406c wrote

I don't make the policy.

I also did made sure everyone knew their actions were being recorded. There were 6 more cameras in plain view, all you had to do was look up, and see they were pointed at you.

Also, one of those cameras was how I found out just how far my bald spot went.

"Who's the bald guy?"

"You." -Loss Prevention

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Literature-South t1_jab7fgw wrote

Yeah, none of that addresses the issue I raised.

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Trance354 t1_jadyty1 wrote

There were warnings. LP knew what was going on, and chances to stop were given.

He was restricted to using a specific register, only. If that was in use, he was put to work on menial tasks until that register was available, lines or no lines. In one instance, we pulled the person who was working, audited her till, and brought it back for him to use, while putting the previous employee on a different register.

Cameras were adjusted to have better line of sight of that register. He watched them make the adjustments.

A policy sign-off was circulated having to do with theft, grift, and consequences, as well as the consequences for lottery fraud.

He was essentially told, "We're watching, don't do it again."

Missing all those hints was ... self-destructive, at best? It was this or rob a bank for the rush, I guess.

The warnings might as well have been in neon lights, and he still ignored them.

As for ruining his life? The world still needs ditch diggers.

1

igankcheetos t1_jac5una wrote

I think that it is more unethical that they let him bilk more customers by double charging them.

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Bodach42 t1_ja05wt0 wrote

Sounds like a conversation you should have recorded if it actually happened.

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Hershieboy t1_ja196vh wrote

Ain't this the premise of the Bow Wow movie "Lottery".

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InflamedLiver t1_j9zltby wrote

“Rivera had no evidence of purchasing the ticket and ultimately no theft report was written up”

Just a common scammer trying to make a buck

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vahntitrio t1_ja1wshm wrote

I think the the tickets literally have a disclaimer that the one that possesses the ticket is the owner, and to sign them right away.

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Aff3nmann t1_ja2vzgh wrote

wait, you can sign lottery tickets in the us?

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lordph8 t1_ja32o4z wrote

People used to hand their tickets to am attendant to check.

"Oh, you won $10."

The next day, you're watching the news. "Gas station attendant won 30 million."

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Aff3nmann t1_ja32trl wrote

in germany people who are involved with the lottery (employees, sellers etc) are not allowed to participate.

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FriendOfDirutti t1_ja3sk63 wrote

Cousin of gas station employee won lottery!

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Coulrophiliac444 t1_ja6ff6a wrote

Thats why there's disclaimers that you cant be related in contests now. Too many 'coincidential' family winners.

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azarusx t1_ja6z6tz wrote

Lady wins lottery and next day marries gas station employee!

What a lucky man he is! Winning two things at once!

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Vitiger t1_ja2zqfo wrote

You have to if you want be to the sole owner of it. There’s instructions and lines on the back that you should 100% do this to prevent exactly what the article is referring to.

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jonovan t1_ja32oc6 wrote

You can Google this exact same question and get much more thorough answers than on Reddit.

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Aff3nmann t1_ja32puz wrote

ok kevin

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jonovan t1_ja41csp wrote

I'm trying to help you, and you're being mean. That's not a good way to go through life, my friend.

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Saito1337 t1_j9zsqda wrote

Rather incredibly pointless when the store camera footage will have already shown the reality.

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Alkdmani t1_j9z5opi wrote

Why do they release the name of the winners?

Now every schmuck would be coming after him with frivolous lawsuits.

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wetwater t1_j9z7qz7 wrote

Transparency. As much as it would be nice to win the lottery, all I can think of is all the assholes and deadbeat relatives suddenly rediscovering that I'm a really cool guy and I should hear their business proposals.

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Nstark7474 t1_j9zc2ir wrote

I already deleted my most toxic SM and only keep in contact with people i actually like. The only thing stopping me from fucking off and becoming a rich hermit who lives in the woods is the fact that I’m poor as shit. 😏

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wetwater t1_j9zedei wrote

A couple of decades ago I was sitting on a nice little pile of money. A cousin somehow heard about it, and suddenly for a couple of weeks I was his best friend, which lead up to him wondering aloud if I would be interested in investing his his little startup business.

Like, my dude, you are unemployable because you are either drunk, high, or both 24/7, and you either quit jobs or get fired because of it. What really makes you think I'm going to get any sort of return on my investment? Weed and beer does not count.

And that was the last I heard of him for about ten years.

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buttfunfor_everyone t1_j9zh5us wrote

Sounds like you really missed getting in on the ground floor of a pretty decent time 😂

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Paavo_Nurmi t1_ja138k3 wrote

When my Dad died I got a nice bit of money and a co worker ask to borrow $600. He was a good dude and probably would have paid me back, but fuck no was my answer. I was lucky that it's just my brother and I and we are really close so no issues dividing things up.

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snoogins355 t1_ja2tqzb wrote

Rent a house in a secluded area of Hawaii. Get a new phone and only contact close family and friends but mostly lay low for a few months to a year

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Reasonable_Ticket_84 t1_ja860e2 wrote

Or just move to somewhere full of rich fucks already like certain parts of Cali, Seattle or NY.

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Rhomega2 t1_j9z6ypy wrote

You're required by law to reveal your name in California.

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Alkdmani t1_j9z91yz wrote

They didn't think this law through, did they...

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buttfunfor_everyone t1_j9zhrnk wrote

The alternative is lack of transparency wherein suddenly all the people winning the lottery somehow all seem to be friends and family members of folks who work for the lottery.

Do some reading into the McDonalds Monopoly fiasco in the 90’s. The $24 million fraud was literally perpetuated by the very head of security in charge of safe-guarding/transporting the winning pieces.

Sure, naming lottery winners may suck for the winner.. they can either a) not collect the money or b) wipe their tears with millions of billions of dollars and move on.

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QubitBob t1_j9zm6mq wrote

I don't know if this holds for all states, but my state--Pennsylvania--allows lottery winners to claim the prize via trusts. In these cases lawyers representing the client claim the prize in the name of the trust, which is given a meaningless name like "Smithville Lottery Winners Trust".

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farmtownsuit t1_ja50zp7 wrote

It varies by state. Maine also allows this but a lot of states don't

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bootstrapping_lad t1_j9ztz7e wrote

I don't buy that argument. I live in an anonymous state and have never heard a single person wonder about the legitimacy of the lottery. IMO it does more harm than good.

Of course there are anomalies like McDonald's, but that doesn't outweigh the burden it places on the winners.

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buttfunfor_everyone t1_j9zuchw wrote

You don’t have to buy anything. I’m literally explaining why they do it lol

Not all states have that rule but some do and this is why. Google lottery fraud sometime and read about the many, many times it’s happened.

Edit: lmao, okay bro. Downvote me because you don’t “buy” a state law and the stated reason for having it. Are you saying lottery fraud having been perpetuated in the past is not the reason some states have that law? Or that lottery fraud has never happened? Either way.. 🙄😂😂

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bootstrapping_lad t1_ja009fg wrote

Obviously that's the reason some states have the rules - that is well known and not at issue. I'm saying that it's unnecessary and does more harm than good.

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buttfunfor_everyone t1_ja02n2i wrote

Okay.. do you have any facts, studies, stats, articles, stories-anything -to support your claim? Have you worked for a state lottery? Have some insider knowledge that we don’t?

Or did you just make your mind and state your opinion based on the assumption that doing so would somehow carry more weight than well documented historical fact?

State lotteries are run differently in every state. To make the claim that because yours is anonymous and you suspect zero issues with it is great. Maybe there’s not, but in the past and elsewhere there absolutely have been.

It’s just a strange way to engage with reality. If you do a quick cursory search online you will find a ton of examples of lottery fraud that has been perpetuated and, in response, states that have changed their laws thusly to require disclosure. Your opinion doesn’t change that.

If you think relatives knocking on your door for cash is worse than multimillion dollar fraud… 🙄

Edit: Honestly, don’t bother responding. I’m turning off notifications. Make whatever claim you want, I don’t want to spend the energy on it.

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bootstrapping_lad t1_ja067vm wrote

You must have missed where I said "IMO", which is an abbreviation for "In my opinion", in case you didn't know that.

> If you think relatives knocking on your door for cash is worse than multimillion dollar fraud… 🙄

State money is never more valuable than people's lives or right to individual privacy. Winning the lottery has a well documented negative effect on the winner's well-being including multiple cases of the winner being murdered. Some winners self implode. I'm not taking about that. I'm talking about relentless hounding by friends, family, distant relatives, organizations, and strangers. Winners have been murdered.

Let's do some of those Google searches you helpfully suggest:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/florida-lottery-winners-bill-convicted-killer-dee-dee-moore-support/

https://www.ranker.com/list/lottery-winners-tragic-ends/derrick920

https://www.abc15.com/news/state/curse-of-the-lottery-why-winning-the-mega-millions-could-kill-you

https://www.google.com/amp/s/english.elpais.com/international/2022-09-21/brazilian-lottery-winner-murdered-after-being-kidnapped-for-prize-money.html%3foutputType=amp

I'm not saying that lottery fraud is never a problem, I'm saying that we should not be shifting the burden of that onto the winners, because staying anonymous is always the best course of action for the winner. Forcing their identity to be known puts a big target on their back and that is not debatable.

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[deleted] t1_ja0wv5y wrote

[removed]

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Alkdmani t1_ja0ydpf wrote

Prohibitions laws went through similar process, and they didn't think that through, they didn't even fund the organisation that is supposed to crack down on alcohol.

Politicians are not philosophers, and the only thing differentiating them from diapers is the amount of shit inside.

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Thomb t1_ja13lym wrote

Regardless of how prohibition laws ultimately played out, how can you say that not a lot of thought went into them? Can you predict the future and only make decisions that pan out? Prohibition laws also went through a lot of thought, discussion, and public participation. The US is a country supposedly governed by laws, and in a democracy those laws can evolve over time. Did you think of that?

Also, you do know that legislative funding bills for programs are separate from the program's basis, right? It appears that you didn't know that. Funding bills usually occur annually and can change with the political winds.

Are you suggesting that one person came up with these laws and implemented them, rather than what actually happened?

>Politicians are not philosophers, and the only thing differentiating them from diapers is the amount of shit inside.

Nobody said that politicians are philosophers. Also, I can tell the difference between a politician and a diaper. If you can't, perhaps you don't have a lot of thinking capabilities.

Where am I, at the Elks Lodge?

1

bitwarrior80 t1_ja0u99m wrote

Couldn't a person get a legal name change to something like "Number One Lotterywinner". I mean, for 2 billion and complete anonymity, it might be worth it.

1

ExCap2 t1_ja1ilxa wrote

In this case, you could probably get with a lawyer or law firm and someone from there could claim it under their name with power of attorney only giving them the power to actually claim the winnings. Separate agreement to dole out money to the lawyer claiming the winnings, or just some random person off the street.

If I had to give up my name, I'd probably just leave the US. Plenty of countries where you can get citizenship for just being rich and being able take care of yourself financially and retire to.

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neo_sporin t1_j9za80t wrote

Almost every state requires it for transparency. There are a few they allow for anonymous claims

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squeevey t1_j9zoei2 wrote

There are about 17 states that allow anonymous claims when above a certain $ amount.

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Morat20 t1_ja0ikzh wrote

About a third allow fully anonymous claims.

Even the ones that don't, in many (perhaps most) trusts can claim it. So winners set up a trust, and lawyers working for the trust claim it on behalf of the trust.

So the 'winner' might be two guys in really good suits with the name "ABC Trust". Now, the lawyers have to attest to a whole bunch of shit to ensure it's not an ineligible winner hiding behind the trust, but a big-name law firm isn't going to perjure themselves over what's really a pretty small amount of billable hours. THEY aren't winning tens or hundreds of millions.

Because if you win even a few million, a good law firm and account is worth every penny just for the work they'll do, but not having every dumb fuck you went to school with known you won is goddamn priceless.

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IamAWorldChampionAMA t1_j9zr6b4 wrote

Arizona is one. I live in Nevada and my Dad and I decided to do a road trip for when the Powerball was big. We did research and decided even though you have to pay taxes in AZ, it's better to be anonymous.

5

droplivefred t1_j9zon6w wrote

Some people are mindful of this and claim the prize through an LLC to protect their identity.

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zero0n3 t1_j9zpkbp wrote

If you do this right you can have a lawyer or agent or LLC claim it so you have a layer of protection

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captainslowww t1_j9zwr0q wrote

Sometimes. It depends on the state.

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domino2064 t1_ja0wdkf wrote

>Sometimes. It depends on the state.

Surprisingly, Kansas is one of the few states you can remain entirely anonymous in.

2

Murgatroyd314 t1_ja1b8if wrote

Even if you do that, the lottery agency will insist on knowing the actual person who will get the money. (For an example of why, google Eddie Tipton.) In some states, once they know this, it becomes a matter of public record subject to disclosure on request, despite your LLC/trust.

1

aiaor t1_ja1lxw2 wrote

The answers say it's for transparency. But don't they show the drawings on TV? How much more transparent can you get than that? Don't they show them in real time? Do they show them setting up the drawing, in real time, so people watching it on TV could see anything that gets done to rig it? Do they also have live audiences?

Note that I haven't actually seen the drawings on TV, so correct me if I don't understand how they do it.

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Alkdmani t1_ja1o8c6 wrote

The question is on what side do we need transparency? On operation side? Sure, absolutely but on winners side in-regards to their ID? Not really, it has been doing more harm than good.

A waitress who was tipped with a lottery ticket, which won, ended up losing most of the prize money going from one lawsuit to another: The cheapskate client who tipped her the ticket sued her, her colleague sued her, etc.

Money that is supposed to change a person's life by getting them out of financial problems, should not invite new financial and legal problems to their life!

3

ExCap2 t1_ja1hsxn wrote

You can claim lottery tickets anonymously through a lawyer, LLC, trust, etc; really depends on where you live but there's plenty of ways to claim it without ever revealing your name. Could probably even dress up as a mascot or something.

If you ever win something big, get a lawyer. Should be the first thing you do.

1

muusandskwirrel t1_ja44usn wrote

This.

Your first thing to do if you think you won the lottery would be to set up an LLC and have that corporation claim the winnings

1

HORSELOCKSPACEPIRATE t1_ja7pbmf wrote

It's an annoyance, but he's the one that can walk into the biggest law firm in the state and not even feel the cost. Frivolously suing him is a good way to get countersued into oblivion if you piss him off enough.

1

IsItJustMeOrt t1_j9zeo1n wrote

That Reggie stole my winning ticket too

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hello_world_wide_web t1_j9yyp5q wrote

Lol...it's not as if they don't do a little verification to be sure. Any yahoo can make a false claim (as the courts have decided many times regarding one "DT"). A $2 billion claim probably gets a little extra scrutiny...

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ken120 t1_j9yxkcm wrote

Ok does the place have security cameras. Lottery system should have the time recorded of when ticket was sold just look at which person was at the counter at that time. Not to mentioned as printed on the tickets sign them when you buy them. Without a signature they are considered property of who ever has them in hand.

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derfmai t1_j9yzc8f wrote

It explains it all in the article.

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Aleyla t1_j9z5jht wrote

To bad its behind a paywall.

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derfmai t1_ja0e6ia wrote

Interesting… it wasn’t for me.

3

karavasis t1_j9z6p85 wrote

But we don’t wanna read it we want you to provide the cliff notea

−2

space-ish t1_ja06pbj wrote

Copy-paste a part of the article for whom it may be behind a firewall:

>The California Lottery says this is not true and released the following statement in response to the allegations:

>“When it comes to the vetting process for big winner, California Lottery has the utmost confidence in its process for doing so. California Lottery remains confident that Edwin Castro is the rightful winner of the $2.04 billion prize stemming from the Powerball drawing in November of 2022.”

>Carolyn Becker, deputy director of communications for the Lottery, told the Pasadena Star-News that the Lottery carries out an extensive investigation to verify winners. This includes having the claimant corroborate facts about how the ticket was purchased, verifying the physical ticket and in some cases reviewing surveillance footage of the store where the winning ticket was purchased

12

ILikeTalkn2Myself OP t1_j9yy80z wrote

>Rivera filed a lawsuit against Castro, Reggie and the California Lottery on Feb. 22 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. asking the court to declare him as the rightful owner of the lottery ticket and the prize money. Rivera alleges that he tried to get the ticket back from Reggie after the winning number was announced on Nov. 8, 2022, but that Reggie refused to do so and tried to blackmail Rivera into splitting the winnings by threatening to destroy the ticket.

Depending how long ago it was when he purchased the ticket there might be a slim chance the shop has a recording of the purchase.

28

watermelonsugar888 t1_ja0dlrd wrote

Why did he only file the lawsuit AFTER the winner was announced if he knew who it was?? Lmao

14

RandomAngeleno t1_ja213jv wrote

Once the results are certified, the lottery knows exactly where and when the winning ticket was sold. There's only 2-3 days between Powerball drawings, so the lottery notifies the shop within hours of a drawing because the seller gets a prize commission for selling the winning tickets, too. During that time, especially for large jackpots, they request copies of any and all footage of the winning sale.

There's no "depending how long ago" here because this is all done within hours of the drawing, and even Mega Millions doesn't go longer than 4 days between draws. Most camera systems for lotto sellers hold video for that long.

7

SharpieBass t1_j9zbrgd wrote

I had an acquaintance win a few million in Canada. He was grilled for almost 2 hours before he was given the $$$. Confirming where he bought the ticket, checked the card he used to pay, did a background check to see if he was related to any lotto employees, etc. If you stole/found a ticket, they will figure it out pretty quickly. If the ticket wasn’t paid for in cash, you get nothing without providing the card used.

There are cameras everywhere now as well.

27

Harbinger-Acheron t1_j9zk5oq wrote

Might just be a Minnesota thing, but the one time I bought lottery tickets I was required to pay cash

17

NorthChicago_girl t1_j9zrog8 wrote

That's true all over the country.

8

blu-juice t1_ja034jh wrote

I buy em with card in California. It’s gotta be debit, which is effectively cash.

5

gmen6981 t1_ja0t5wn wrote

In Ohio you can pay with cash, credit card or debit card. However the retailers are allowed to decide what form of payment they will accept. Larger chain outlets and gas stations usually accept all forms while small operations usually require cash since they don't do as much business and retailers are required to keep a certian amount of cash on hand to be able to cash winning scratch offs etc......

1

blahbleh112233 t1_ja0ce8d wrote

Has to usually be cash so you can only gamble your own money. You just know there's multiple thousands that would play $40k in lotto if their credit balance allowed it

1

btbrian t1_ja1222u wrote

In Illinois you're allowed to buy tickets online using a credit card.

1

chaossabre t1_j9zssfn wrote

Card usage is relatively high in Canada compared to the 'states. Many people don't carry cash.

0

deferens t1_ja00x3t wrote

In the US, the cash requirement is to prevent people from running up gambling debts on their credit cards.

6

washington_jefferson t1_ja1whcv wrote

That has nothing to do with the sale of lottery ticket sales in the US. So, if you're buying a bottle of water, some chips, and ask for a lottery ticket- you'll be paying for the food with card and have to scrounge cash out of your wallet for the lottery ticket.

> In 2021 in the US, debit cards accounted for 28% of all payments, credit cards accounted for 23%, and cash accounted for 19% of all payments.

> According to a 2020 survey by Payments Canada, cash accounted for 20% of all payments in Canada, while debit cards accounted for 30% and credit cards accounted for 22%.

1

crank1000 t1_ja2etsl wrote

What if the ticket was a gift?

2

SharpieBass t1_ja3pbb1 wrote

Interviews with all parties, videos, etc. they don’t fuck around with this stuff.

1

jpc1215 t1_j9yxw9c wrote

I mean, it’s a $2 billion lottery ticket, the largest in history. I’d be half tempted to try and file a lawsuit saying it was mine, and I don’t even live in California lmao. Of course someone will come out of the woodwork saying it’s “rightfully theirs”. Congrats to the winner though…can’t imagine the feeling

19

Boredandtiredbroke t1_j9z5ngq wrote

Total any utter fear knowing the country knows my name and possibly my face. Friends, family, neighbors start coming at you. Perhaps previous romantic partners come out and claim abuse and try to sue you. I dunno I'd be paranoid as fuck.

16

jpc1215 t1_j9z7f6k wrote

For real. It’s gotta be a blessing and a curse. I’ve read some pretty interesting stories from former lottery winners - it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for sure.

9

neo_sporin t1_j9za3si wrote

Honestly if I ever won something like that. I’d try to work with lawyers to hide it, or find a legal way to have someone claim and take like 1 million payment just to have their name attached to it

8

Morat20 t1_ja0jsh5 wrote

If you ever win more than, say, a million? Go to the biggest city in your state, pick the biggest fucking law firm, and tell them you need their help to handle a sudden windfall.

They'll help you build a trust, and claim the ticket on behalf of the trust. So the winner will be the trust. They'll also file all the appropriate legal documents and affidavits claiming you are eligible to win.

Even if the State insists on speaking to the trustee (you!) and verifying it themselves, the winner will go down as -- and be publicized as the trust. And your big firm lawyer will be the one whose photo is on the wall under something like "50 million winner! 'FYIGM Trust"

It's worth the money not just because of keeping anonymity, but they'll help you find an accountant and tax attorney to structure how you get your winnings, and you can also keep a bunch of it safe from yourself -- and others.

Stick 80%+ into a trust where you can't touch the principal at all (or doing so is a huge, time-consuming process to prevent yourself from impulsive moves or manipulation) means when someone DOES work out you're rich, tough shit. You can't touch it.

You just have that 20% and the passive income.

(25m, for instance, in a trust is about 500k a year conservatively after taxes in passive income -- that's about 2.5%, minus taxes. 500k a fucking year after taxes is a lot of goddamn money, especially since you're likely debt free as well. Like 40k a month is fucking insane money)

4

QubitBob t1_j9zj8fk wrote

Some states allow the winners to remain anonymous. My state--Pennsylvania--does not, but winners of large Powerball jackpots have been able to claim prizes anonymously using what are called a trust. In these cases the lawyers representing the winner claim the prize for the trust. So it involves some red tape and legal fees, but I would go that route to keep my name from going public.

3

ThatDarnScat t1_ja0bulr wrote

I could change my name, family, AND face for waayyy less than $2 Billions..

3

RealisticDelusions77 t1_j9z7vyl wrote

Wow, 2000 people could have won a million each instead.

−9

Aleashed t1_j9z99kh wrote

Bro, your Billions are weak.

Our Billions are a Million Millions.

−12

DeificClusterfuck t1_j9za7ue wrote

No

1000 X 1m = 1b

Sesame Street taught me that as a kid

5

QubitBob t1_j9zk99w wrote

This is correct: a billion = 1,000 million. The current Wikipedia article in English states this clearly. In current usage, one million million = trillion.

5

yourbraindead t1_jaf1ifv wrote

I think he was trying to make a joke about the fact that in the longer scale that many countries use (like we in Germany) after a million comes Milliarde and then billion. So your trillion is our billion.

1

chatte__lunatique t1_j9zcdi4 wrote

Milliard and billiard are stupid, archaic units that belong with inches, pounds, and all the other archaic English units.

−11

Langola t1_j9zb06u wrote

Too many people try and basically commit fraud as soon as they win. Divorce, bankruptcy, whatever where they try and basically don't admit to winning the lottery as they settle up.

9

HeBoughtALot t1_ja0jdh7 wrote

I had a half of a breakfast burrito in my fridge and now its gone. Fucking Reggie.

8

hawkwings t1_ja051af wrote

How did Edwin Castro find out that Jose Rivera had the winning ticket? Did Jose go around telling everyone that he had the winning ticket before he cashed it? If I had the winning ticket, I would take a picture and send a date delayed email to my sisters. I know how to do that with Gmail. Unlike many Redditors, I would cash it as fast as possible.

5

Warlord68 t1_ja197lm wrote

#1 reason to alway keep your receipt!

4

beeraholikchik t1_ja46o7o wrote

Most receipts will only say you purchased a ticket since the tickets for Powerball, Mega, Lotto, etc. generally aren't actually scanned but rather just have the dollar amount entered into the register. The receipt won't have the numbers you chose on it . What you really need to do is sign the back of your ticket. That is the only proof you have that it's yours. You could also take a picture of the front and back of the ticket as extra evidence, but mostly just sign it and keep it in a safe place.

2

Warlord68 t1_ja4kfkq wrote

Hahaha true, so far I haven’t run into the problem of winning too much!

1

filmantopia t1_j9zs6qc wrote

Wait no, that was my ticket!

3

Vitiger t1_ja2zxg0 wrote

Whoever’s name is on the back is the owner and winner. Read your lottery tickets.

3

Honalana t1_ja32rjl wrote

There was a big mega millions winner by me once and they said which gas station it was sold at. The very next day some woman is out there on the news claiming she bought the ticket at that gas station but she lost it there before she left. (Sure, Jan) For a week people crawled all over that gas station looking for it. Then the actual winner claimed the prize. This crazy liar tried to create a narrative so when the actual winner came forward she could claim it was her missing ticket. It didn’t work but it was funny seeing all those people there looking in bushes, in trash cans

2

Jessica65Perth t1_ja2lw7y wrote

I lost a lottery ticket here in Australia whilst walking from the Train station..A week later a neighbout told me they won $1 Million. I joled with him if he found the ticket it was mine. He laughed and would not answer. My bad luck if he did find my ticket and won..He never stole it from.me

1

ronreadingpa t1_ja3318l wrote

Another option is buying tickets online. Many states offer that and eliminates much of the issues with physical tickets that are essentially bearer documents.

In Pennsylvania, to buy on-line lottery, one needs to register an account and all purchases are in the name of the account holder. Much better and safer than physical tickets.

Seems eventually, lotteries will more aggressively tout safety as another reason to buy big jackpot games on-line. Plus, lotteries benefit too by not having to pay out sales commissions to retailers.

Hopefully the CA Lottery handles this promptly, because there are some lottery players who avoid buying Powerball / Mega Million tickets when jackpots get unusually high for just this reason.

1

FF_Gilgamesh1 t1_ja369jn wrote

I can't believe he stole my lottery ticket

1

wyyknott01 t1_ja4r9r3 wrote

Maybe he should've waited for the thief to turn in ticket

1

[deleted] t1_ja0wkbv wrote

[deleted]

−1

Jaedos t1_ja0wxpb wrote

Go look up how the lottery works.

If we didn't do this, the lottery wouldn't exist. What is won is usually only half or less of what was actually bought in. The other portion of the money goes to fund all sorts of shit.

It's literally state-sponsored gambling even in states that van gambling.

3