A post shared on r/mildlyinfuriating has drawn attention online after it highlighted the story of an Indiana man who thought he had won $100,000 on a lottery scratch-off ticket, only to be told he could not collect his winnings due to a reported lottery glitch.
According to reports, Mike Fields believed he had defied the odds after scratching off a Space Invaders Cash Invasion ticket and discovering what appeared to be a $100,000 prize. However, when he took the ticket to a lottery office to claim the money, he was informed that a lottery glitch had prevented the prize from being processed.
The Hoosier Lottery Says a Technical Issue Affected the Scratch-Off Game
Fields is one of several people reportedly affected by the issue. He told Fox 59 News that he purchased the $5 Space Invaders scratch-off ticket, which revealed symbols indicating a $100,000 prize. He said he decided to play the game because he was a fan of the original Space Invaders arcade game.
Fields said he was surrounded by loved ones when he realized his ticket was a winner, and they said he began making strange noises.
After realizing he had a "golden ticket," so to speak, Fields said he went straight to the Hoosier Lottery office at 1302 N. Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis. But after presenting the ticket, he said employees told him the prize could not be processed immediately.
He said employees also informed him that they didn't have any answers for him at the time, nor did they have answers for the other people who had brought in "winning" tickets. According to Fields, he was not the only person seeking to claim a prize. He was told, however, that he would be informed by mail within 30 days of whatever decision the lottery office made. If he didn't receive an update, he was also given a number to call.
The Hoosier Lottery later said in a statement to Fox 59 that, "This morning, we became aware of a technical issue with our recently launched $5 Space Invaders Cash Scratch-off. We have halted the sale of the ticket to ensure the game experience upholds the integrity we strive to provide our players...."
Fields's story later made its way to Reddit, where users weighed in on the situation. One user, like many others, wrote, "What exactly the glitch was, sarcastically asking, "A winning ticket????"
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Another commenter wrote, "That seems illegal unless they gave out a crazy amount of 100,000 dollar prizes."
A third Reddit user said, "I am not a lawyer, this isn't legal advice. When you buy a lottery ticket both parties have entered a contract. Reach out to a lawyer, don't discard the evidence."
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the circumstances surrounding the alleged lottery glitch. The story gained attention after being shared on Reddit's r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit.
