Stop Predatory Gambling

Integrity and lotteries are mutually exclusive

by spgadmin

A Florida woman is suing the Florida Lottery over its refusal to pay a $500,000 prize on an allegedly misprinted ticket.

Ann Marie Curcio received the $20 ticket from her husband for Mother’s Day in 2007. But when they tried to claim the prize in Tallahassee the next day, lottery officials told them the ticket was a misprint: The number 1 worth $500,000 was supposed to be a number 13.

Curcio’s husband died last month, but the 58-year-old widow is pursuing the claim. She filed suit this week in Leon County asking the state to honor the ticket and accusing the lottery of unfair and deceptive practices.

Lottery officials say the ticket’s bar code proves it’s not a winner, and the Curcios haven’t followed the procedure to dispute a claim.

Let’s make it clear. The widow has a winning number on a ticket she bought randomly yet the lottery refuses to pay because they say the ticket is not on their list of predetermined winners.

This is yet another example of why it is impossible to restore public trust in government institutions as long as the government program of predatory gambling exists in its present form.