ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

Washington DC man who hit $340 million jackpot denied prize after a 'mistake' on the website

He sued the lottery company for breach of contract, gross negligence and the infliction of emotional distress among other claims.
UPDATED DEC 19, 2024
An advertisement for the Mega Millions lottery | Getty Images | Photo by Justin Sullivan
An advertisement for the Mega Millions lottery | Getty Images | Photo by Justin Sullivan

A man saw his dream wash away after he was told by lotto officials that his Powerball numbers were erroneously displayed on  DC’s lottery website for three days and did not merit a jackpot, as per The US Sun. John Cheeks, a resident of Washington DC purchased a Powerball ticket on January 6, 2023, and later found out that he had won. "I got a little excited, but I didn’t shout, I didn’t scream. I just politely called a friend. I took a picture as he recommended, and that was it. I went to sleep," he said. 

However, soon his luck turned against him when he went to cash his prize at the office and was denied his win. This is when he put his ticket in a safe deposit box and took the matter to court. Cheeks reportedly submitted a handwritten complaint in the District of Columbia Superior Court in November. He sued the lottery company for breach of contract, gross negligence as well as the infliction of emotional distress among other claims. As per the reports, he is seeking the full $340 million prize as compensation, plus interest and damages from the Multi-State Lottery Association and game contractor Taoti Enterprises.


order="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen>

 

"Petitioner’s prize claim was denied … because the ticket did not validate as a winner by the OLG’s gaming system as required by OLG regulations," read the documents. Speaking with NCB news affiliate, Cheeks said that the workers in the office asked him to throw out the ticket. "Hey, this ticket is no good. Just throw it in the trash can," he said. "Oh yeah, just throw it away. You’re not going to get paid. There’s a trash can right there," he recalled the worker's words. 

Cheek's attorney Richard Evans said that his client was eventually informed by a lottery contractor that Taoti Enterprises, a DC-based digital advertising agency that manages the DC Lottery’s website made "a mistake" and posted the wrong numbers. "They have said that one of their contractors made a mistake,” Evans told NBC 4. "I haven’t seen the evidence to support that yet," via NY Post. 



 

Taoti Enterprises later said that the wrong numbers were posted and were removed once the error was noticed by an employee. "These red flags would cause any reasonable person to know that they were not the valid winning numbers," the contractor maintained. At the time of the lawsuit, Taoti Enterprises pointed out a disclaimer on the lottery website that says that the site is not the "final authority" of the drawing suggesting that the numbers that were displayed on the website were not final in any way. 

Later Cheek's lawyer sent an email to NPR saying that the lawsuit raises critical questions about "the integrity and accountability of lottery operations and the safeguards — or lack thereof — against the type of errors that Powerball and the DC Lottery admit occurred in this case." He added that the lawsuit is not only about the numbers displayed on the website but also  "the reliability of institutions that promise life-changing opportunities, while heavily profiting in the process."

This article originally appeared 2 months ago.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The woman who gifted the painting to the owners had earlier sold it to another dealer as she couldnt sleep at night.
1 day ago
When it came to naming something of Harvey they would want to touch, the players didn't hold back
1 day ago
Rick Harrison's go to expert warned him not to touch it with a "10 foot pole."
1 day ago
The massive manufacturer has been operational for more than a hundred years now.
2 days ago
While the player was overwhelmed with emotion, host, Drew Carey was left hanging for a handshake.
4 days ago
Turns out, the guest's father was the renowned artist, Demetrios Jameson.
4 days ago
While the player, Rodney Flippen took the loss on the chin, fans were left heartbroken.
5 days ago
Harvey was stunned to see that Lisa would risk her marriage to get the top answer.
5 days ago
The outbreak has been linked to four deaths, and 19 hospitalizations, according to the CDC.
5 days ago
The President and CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillion expressed that AI will "literally change every job."
6 days ago
While the seller was confident that the instrument was ever so valuable, Harrison begged to differ.
6 days ago
The 54th season of the show has begun with a brand-new game, but fans fear it could be rigged.
7 days ago
The guest had absolutely no idea that the Ching Dynasty snuff bottle could be worth so much.
7 days ago
While Corey Harrison tried his best, the seller had other plans and stuck to it.
Sep 28, 2025
Harvey warned the contestant that she may be in a situation she can't handle.
Sep 27, 2025
In the end, the expert adviced the guest to put the item on a pedestal for the future.
Sep 27, 2025
Fans debated if the player got the correct answer in time, or if the judges the right call
Sep 26, 2025
While the comedian/host's answers were barely intelligible, Harvey didn't miss a beat to roast him.
Sep 26, 2025
When a player expressed her desires for Harvey, the host was more than happy.
Sep 26, 2025
While the seller was confident that his items were 100% authentic, Rick Harrison wasn't so sure.
Sep 25, 2025