Man who won $340m jackpot sues Powerball after being told he won’t be paid out due to ‘mistake’
We all dream of winning the lottery and imagine the things we'd buy with the money.
A new car? A bigger house? A vacation home in the Maldives? The possibilities could be endless.
And John Cheeks was led to believe that the world would soon be his oyster after his numbers showed up on the Powerball website.
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John was under the impression he'd won a staggering $340 million, but his dreams were crushed when he went to cash in his ticket.
The Washington DC resident purchased his ticket in January 2023 and, having missed the live draw, he went online to check the winning numbers to find that the website was showing his.
“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 told NBC in an interview.
But when John went to Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG) the following day, they said his claim had been denied.
Confused as to why, the OLG explained that his number that came up on the website was 'a test run' and didn't match the number shown on live TV.
He was then advised to simply chuck his ticket in the trash. However, John decided to keep it and went on to contact a lawyer.
He's now suing Powerball and DC Lottery.
In the lawsuit filed on his behalf, it claims that John was told that a lottery contractor 'accidentally' posted the wrong numbers and that it was a 'mistake'.
The lawsuit goes on to state: "Defendants made a false representation, when they announced a different winning number, two or more days after the announcement of the winning Powerball number on January 7, 2023 thru January 9, 2023 and alleged system error."
Multi-State Lottery Association and game contractor Taoti Enterprises are also named in the suit.
It's unclear the damages that John is seeking, but it's likely that he wants the amount he was made to believe he'd won.
UNILAD has contacted DC Lottery and Powerball for comment.
A woman had a similar situation at a casino last year and won what would have been the largest slot machine jackpot in US history - $42,949,672.
But the New York State Gaming Commission said Katrina Bookman’s machine had malfunctioned, and that she'd actually won just $2.25.
As a gesture of goodwill, the casino offered Katrina a complimentary steak dinner.
Katrina went on to file a suit against the casino as she was understandably unhappy about the ordeal.
Unfortunately for her, a judge sided with the casino and ruled her win was void.
Niamh Shackleton