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You are more likely to be struck by lightning than to win the Powerball lottery.
A Washington, D.C., man who thought he won a $340 million jackpot has filed a lawsuit against Powerball and the DC Lottery, saying they advertised the winning numbers. He said he won the prize by mistake.
John Cheeks said he was stunned when he saw the Powerball winning numbers match those in his hand in January 2023.
But when Mr Cheeks took the lottery ticket to the Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG), he was refused.
“One of the officials said I didn’t win my lottery ticket. They threw it in the trash.”
But Mr. Cheeks kept the lottery ticket. And hire a lawyer
He is now moving forward with a lawsuit seeking damages from the lottery company. This is an amount of approximately US$340 million (about 11,900 million baht), calculated from the jackpot plus the interest he will receive daily.
“Inadvertent error”
Among the documents submitted to the court were Powerball and Taoti Project, a lottery distribution company based in Washington, D.C. The confusion was allegedly caused by a technical glitch.
On January 6, 2023, the day Mr. Cheeks bought the lottery ticket, a quality assurance team is testing the system on the site, a Tauti employee said during a court hearing.
Court filings also say that on that day, a Power Ball number test that matched Cheeks' lottery ticket was posted on the website. “By coincidence” the numbers appeared online for another three days. Until January 9, 2023
Taoti employees also said that the numbers found online do not match the winning numbers in this draw.
Powerball and Taute did not respond to requests for comment from the BBC.
From such cases Mr. Cheeks then sued the company on eight counts, including breach of contract. Negligence and fraud
Because the winning number matched Mr. Cheeks' number, he was entitled to it, Cheek's lawyer, Richard Evans, said in court documents. Otherwise, Mr. Cheeks is entitled to compensation for damages resulting from “gross negligence” by lottery companies that published false prize numbers.
Evans told the BBC: “This case raises important questions about whether lottery companies' operations and guarantees are honest and reliable, or not at all. In the wake of the failure of Powerball and The DC Lottery, this case was used in this case.” statement.
“This is not just a number on a website. This is about the credibility of an organization that promises life-changing opportunities to its buyers. And it makes huge profits at the same time,” Mr. Czech's lawyer said.
Mr Cech told the BBC: He still has hope. “I know that justice will prevail in the end,” he said, adding that winning the lottery would change his life and the life of his family.
If he wins the case, he plans to open a home-buying bank. Providing advice to people who want to have their own home. The next session is scheduled to be held on February 23.
The odds of Chix or anyone else winning the jackpot are extremely unlikely: 1 in 292.2 million, compared to a 1 in 22 million chance of being struck by lightning in 2025, according to the NGO.
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