Attorney: Texas lottery won't pay cheated winner

(November 2nd, 2009 @ 9:28pm)

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Comments:8

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - An attorney for a man who lost out on a $1 million jackpot says the Texas Lottery Commission still considers the store clerk who allegedly stole the ticket to be the winner.

Willis Willis lost out on the jackpot when the clerk allegedly cashed in his winning lottery ticket and disappeared. Willis' lawyer, Sean E. Brown, says commission attorneys told the 67-year-old unemployed man Monday that the clerk is considered the winner because he signed the back of the lottery ticket.

Commission spokesman Bobby Heith declined comment to the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News. A message was left by The Associated Press Monday night.

Authorities are still trying to find the former clerk, who is charged with claiming a lottery prize by fraud.

Last 5 Comments

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I once hird

Chadwic

... that gambleing is for those that cant do MATH!!!. and i stand buy it. I.E. one day i was at a cornertor. a elderly lady had one a $100 from her tickit she clamed that that was the first time she had won anything from playing. I asked how long she had been playing and she sayed she was a avid player for that past 15 years or more. so yes if there was a point to be made. It dose not pay off I don't think in the long run.

48273
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how about

Jim Sanson

video proof, time stamps of purchase, time stamps of returning with it to be checked, etc?

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Sad, but

Chuck W

in this case possesion is 9/10ths of the law. I feel sorry for the guy and hope for his sake that they find the guy but would have to agree with texas on this one. So who do they know it's really Willis Willis's ticket anyway? I hope his lawyer isn't charging him anything unless he gets his money. That would suck

48228
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This just goes to show that stupid people

Georgina M

are everywhere. Just like the ones who still continue to give their personal information over the phone and internet to scammers, even though everyone has told them not to. the guys does deserve his money, but that's not the responsibility of the lottery commission, the responsibilities lies on the clerk. That money won't last that idiot forever, he'll be back in the states eventually and will go to jail. The original winner should have been smart enough to check his own lottery tickets though, so he's an idiot. Hope he learned a lesson.

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Let me put it this way....

my2cents

and if you don't understand what I say, then you should quit buying lottery tickets. CHECK YOUR OWN TICKETS!!! The reason you play is to try to win the big jackpot, so if you are stupid enough to just hand over a potential winning ticket to a stranger and ask "Gee, did I win?", then you deserve to get shafted because if you are so dumb you will do that, you are way to dumb to have a bunch of money. POINT MADE.

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