Man Claims $340M Powerball Win After Website Error

(CTN News) – The DC Lottery and Powerball claim they mistakenly published his numbers after a Washington, DC man thought he won $340m (£270m).

The first time he saw Powerball’s winning numbers in January 2023, John Cheeks felt “numb.”

However, Mr Cheeks didn’t get his ticket accepted by the Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG).

“The claims agent told me to toss my ticket in the trash,” he said.

Mr Cheeks held onto that ticket and found a lawyer.

It’s a $340 million lawsuit against the lottery for damages, plus interest he’d have earned daily on the Powerball jackpot.

It’s a technical error, Powerball and its lottery contractor, Taoti Enterprises, said in court documents.

According to a court filing, Taoti’s quality assurance team tested the website on 6 January 2023, the day Mr Cheeks bought his ticket.

Court documents say a set of test Powerball numbers matched Mr Cheeks’ numbers and appeared on the website “accidentally” that day.

According to the Taoti employee, the numbers online weren’t the same from those drawn at the last lottery.

Powerball and Taoti didn’t respond to the BBC‘s request for comment.

There are eight counts in Cheeks’ lawsuit, including breach of contract, negligence, and infliction of emotional distress.

A lawyer for Mr Cheeks said he’s entitled to the “entire jackpot” because his numbers matched the winning numbers. Otherwise, Mr Evans said, Mr Cheeks is entitled to damages for the lottery’s “gross negligence” in posting wrong lottery numbers.

“The lawsuit raises important questions about lottery integrity and accountability, as well as the safeguards against errors like the ones Powerball and DC Lottery claim happened here,” Evans said.

“This isn’t just about numbers on a website; it’s about the credibility of institutions that promise life-changing opportunities.”

The lottery winnings would have changed his family’s life, Cheeks told BBC. “I know the justice system will prevail,” he said.

Hopefully, he’ll open a home trust bank that helps aspiring homeowners.

There’s a hearing on 23 February.

According to the US National Weather Service, the odds of Mr Cheeks winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, while the odds of being struck by lightning are 1 in 1.22 million.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, The Powerball winning numbers will be published by CTN News immediately after the drawing.

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