A guy who in possession of a winning $5 million California lottery ticket was denied his winnings. Naturally, he is now suing.
Ward Thomas, of Long Beach, sent his 16-year-old son into a Mobil station with 12 winning scratchers worth $330, reports ABC 7. The teen exchanged the tickets for $230 in cash and five $20 scratchers – one of which won $5 million!
But here is where things go downhill for Thomas. After verifying that it was indeed a winning ticket, the lottery commission denied Thomas his millions because his “son purchased” the winning ticket and the legal age to buy lottery tickets is 18.
Thomas has filed a lawsuit claiming that at no time did the Mobil station tell his son he could not purchase lottery tickets due to his age. He also says he son was not asked to provide ID, was not asked to have an adult present, and there were no signs present, and that employees were not properly trained about lottery rules.
Steve Meister, a legal analyst for CBS 2, says Thomas does not have a strong case. “It’s not the state’s responsibility to now say, ‘OK, because someone let you play, here’s you million dollars.’”
No matter how this case turns out, there’s an important lesson here: Don’t involve your kids with anything that can make you rich. Ever.
