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Lottery Ticket Misprint Costs Couple $500,000
State Lottery Says All Tickets Are Subject To Verification
UPDATED: 2:39 pm EDT May 18,
2007
OCALA, Fla. -- A Florida couple said they have a winning lottery ticket and they want their money, but the Florida Lottery Commission isn't paying.Ocala resident Joe Curcio said he thought he hit the jackpot on a scratch-off ticket that shows a prize of $500,000.When he tried to claim his prize, he received nothing at the lottery office.
Curcio said he bought a legitimate lottery ticket at a rest stop on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Drum. But the state said the ticket had a misprint on it.Curcio and his family said it's not their fault the ticket has a misprint and that he should be paid what he's owed."A deal's a deal," Curcio said."I believe there's something wrong with the lottery," his wife, Annemarie, said. "If I make a mistake in anything, I say, 'Listen, I made a mistake. I'm going to eat the mistake. I owe these people. I'm going to pay these people.' That's the way we are and I expect that from the state of Florida, too."The lottery said it prints about 550 million tickets per year and there is the possibility of a misprint.There are manual, computer and visual checks of tickets submitted for prizes, and the lottery said it uses various layers of security.The Lottery Commission said tickets are printed with a warning that all winnings are subject to verification.
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