Help! I Lost Millions!!! — C’mon People, Keep Your Lottery Ticket Safe!

3 Edificatory Stories About the Lost Lottery Tickets

What would you do if you knew you had purchased a lottery ticket and the winning numbers were your lucky numbers; except when you wanted to go and claim the prize, you lost the ticket? Imagine how devastating that would be and how messy your house would be from you tearing everything apart, looking for that ticket.

Although it sounds like something nightmares are made of, it has happened to people. Some were lucky and found the tickets, some tickets were found by other people, and some were lost forever. These are their stories.

Kathryn Jones – Lost Ticket, Win Cash

On January 7th, 2014, Kathryn Jones, a woman from Hamilton, Ontario, claimed $50 million check. Sounds like a normal lottery winner, right? The winnings had been unclaimed for a year and it had been the largest ever in Canadian history. What makes the story intriguing is that Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation sought her out. They were able to identify and locate Kathryn through their claims investigation process.

Kathryn originally purchased the lottery ticket at her local Shoppers Drug Mart in Cambridge, Ont. In 2012 during a stressful time at work. That ticket turned out to have the winning numbers for the November 30, 2012, Lotto Max jackpot; however, she didn’t claim her winnings.

The lotto agency, instead, received over 435 claims for the draw and upon the reviewing process, the commission was able to find Kathryn. When she couldn’t find her ticket, the agency conducted their “Lost ticket prize claim” process to make sure she was, in fact, the rightful winner. The investigation included various interviews with Kathryn, checking surveillance videos that show her purchasing the ticket and cross-referencing her credit card statements.

In Kathryn’s case, it’s a good thing she paid with her credit card, otherwise, there would have been no way to confirm the win! Now that would have been a devastating loss—to be that close to $50 million and it is washed away because you decided to pay cash.

Marvin Rosales-Martinez – Finders Keepers

When Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast of the United States in 2012, it devastated the entire coastline. Many people were out of homes and if ever there was a need for good fortune, they would be it.

Marvin Rosales-Martinez the recipient of that much needed good fortune.

While Marvin and a co-worker was blowing leaves after the hurricane tore its way through Bayville, New Jersey, Marvin noticed a paper stuck between some levels. When he looked at the paper, he saw that all three numbers on the “Win $1,000 a week for Life” scratch card were winners.

Marvin attempted to claim the prize at the New York Lottery customer service center on Long Island, where the ticket had originated from; however, the office was closed because they had no power due to the storm. When the office reopened and Marvin explained the situation. After a standard and thorough investigation, and no one claiming the ticket, the “finders keepers” rule applied.

The NY lotto agency made Marvin wait a year to allow for a report to be placed by the original owner of the lost ticket. No one did, so at the end of that year waiting period the agency contacted him and told him the great news.

In Marvin’s situation, it really pays to be mindful of your surroundings. You never know what you may stumble upon. Someone else’s misfortune was Marvin’s gain.

Ian Galtress – Unlucky Loser

March 15, 2014, Ian Galtress from Wirral, Merseyside, England, thinks he may have thrown away his chance of becoming a millionaire. He initially purchased two lottery tickets, one for himself and one for his girlfriend. To the engineer’s dismay, his girlfriend’s raffle ticket was only one number away from winning the £1m prize—but he lost the other ticket. Because of this, he thinks he may have been the winner.

Camelot lottery organizers appealed for a missing winner in the Wirral area. This search for the winner has left Ian distraught over what he thinks he could have lost.

Ian believes the anxiety of this whole situation has ruined his life. He reports that he has lost a lot of weight, cannot sleep, and consistently lives with the feeling of being robbed, ripped off, or kicked to the curb. The devastating loss has made him want to rebuild his life.

It’s a shame that Ian lost his ticket and the anxiety the loss has caused him is palpable. But really… If you were up for that kind of cash, would you let that ticket out of your sight? I feel for the guy, but losing the ticket until you knew for certain that you had lost/won was pretty dumb.

Then again, that’s just me. What do you think?