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
While Harrison really wanted the rare treasure, he just couldn't take a chance with such a high price tag.
12 hours ago
The issue triggered speculation on social media, with many questioning Walmart's product quality.
13 hours ago
The rising star of the show's Prime Video spinoff could take over as the full time host.
2 days ago
Rick who couldn't tell the difference between Pokemon and Charizard lost out on a deal of a life.
2 days ago
The guest later happily gave it away for free to a Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame collection.
2 days ago
The guest had stumbled into the rare artifact online and didn't have to shell out a lot for it.
3 days ago
Jennings answered the question that was making the rounds on social media for quite some time.
3 days ago
While her letter picks gave her just one clue, Angie nailed the final puzzle in seconds.
4 days ago
While the player wasn't too bothered with the loss, fans didn't seem to let it go.
4 days ago
This wasn't the first time that a contestant made a fool of himself on the show.
5 days ago
Even the stingy star of the show, Rick Harrison couldn't resist paying top dollar for the item.
5 days ago
Kevin O'Leary's deal did offer more capital but didn't align with Strauss's goals.
6 days ago
Harvey was waiting for a long time for someone to give that answer.
7 days ago
All the guest could say was, "I am never going to be able to talk to my wife again."
Apr 17, 2025
The TikTok creator claimed that the brand is trying to gain attention, but some viewers disagree.
Apr 16, 2025
Harris made a last ditch attempt for the 'Holy Grail' item but it didn't go as he expected it to.
Apr 16, 2025
Jay Tope, who lost $75,000 earlier in the week, redeemed himself while playing with the star.
Apr 16, 2025
While the question was direct, the entrepreneurs kept beating around the bush.
Apr 15, 2025
Fans are posting videos of the game that they discovered at Costco retail stores.
Apr 15, 2025
Catherine also got some help from her mother who was sitting in the studio audience.
Apr 15, 2025