John Cheeks, a resident of Washington, DC, has sued Powerball and the DC Lottery.
Cheeks had previously believed he had won a $340 million (£270 million) jackpot, but Powerball and the DC Lottery claimed to have posted Cheeks’ numbers in error.
Forty-five states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands all offer Powerball, an American lottery game.
Cheeks discovered in January 2023 that his ticket and the Powerball winning numbers matched. Cheeks, however, revealed his ticket to the Office of Lottery and Gaming and revealed that his claim was turned down.
As a result, he is currently suing the lottery for damages amounting to the $340 million daily interest he would have received from the Powerball jackpot.
“One of the claims representatives told me my ticket was no good, just toss it in the trash can,” the man stated.
Cheeks is currently suing on eight different charges, including fraud, carelessness, infliction of emotional distress, and breach of contract.
Court filings show that Taoti Enterprises, a lottery contractor based in Washington, DC, and Powerball both assert that the mistake was caused by a technical glitch, the BBC reports.
In a court document, a Taoti representative stated that a quality assurance team was testing the website on January 6, 2023, the day Mr. Cheeks purchased his ticket.
According to court records, a set of test Powerball numbers that day coincided with Mr. Cheeks’ numbers and were “accidentally” released on the internet. The numbers did not match the numbers drawn at the most recent lottery draw, it was added, and they stayed up online for three days, until January 9.
According to the BBC, when it asked Powerball and Taoti for comments on the issue, neither party answered.
Richard Evans, Cheeks’ attorney, told the BBC that “this lawsuit raises critical questions about the integrity and accountability of lottery operations and the safeguards – or lack thereof – against the type of errors that Powerball and the DC Lottery contend occurred in this case.”
“This is not merely about numbers on a website; it’s about the reliability of institutions that promise life-changing opportunities, while heavily profiting in the process,” he said, adding that he believes the winning numbers matched Cheeks’ numbers and that he was fortunate to get the “the entire jackpot.”
Speaking, Cheeks stated, “I know the justice system will prevail,” demonstrating her faith in the legal system.
As a result, the hearing for the matter is set for February 23.