Mishap Means Undercover Agent Misses Out On $75,000 Lottery Payout
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The 'winner' (circled) arrives to collect his $75,000 prize at a Palmdale gas station.
It started when an undercover California Lottery agent turned up at a Palmdale gas station to collect his winnings with a decoy ticket.
The California Lottery routinely uses undercover agents to search out dishonest retailers.
The Palmdale gas station at the center of the undercover check.
The cashier misread the man's ticket and handed out just $75 instead of the $750,000 shown on the ticket. The Lottery are now investigating whether the wrong payout was an honest mistake.
Shamsun Hahar Islam, the Palmdale gas station manager, talks to media.
Shamsun Hahar Islam, the Palmdale gas station manager, said the cashier misread the numbers on the machine and gave the man $75 instead of $75,000.
The man just took his money and left, and that's when the cashier realized his mistake. The cashier called Islam right away.
The incident happened on March 25 when the agent was sent to the gas station with a dummy winning ticket to see if the store was in compliance with lottery rules and regulations.
The agent is seen getting his money from the cashier.
Islam said she was shocked to learn the man was an agent, but she was glad that media outlets were able to show that her store did nothing wrong.
The $75,000 amount is shown on the winning ticket.
She said she contacted the California Lottery as soon as her cashier informed her of the mistake. She hopes that the store passes the test.
Lottery officials said while most businesses are honest, there are a few that cheat winners and is why undercover agents are needed.
The video showing the man who cashed in his lottery ticket at a Palmdale gas station and was given thousands of dollars short of his winnings. VIDEO: abc30.
SOURCE: abc30
UPDATE May 8, 2015: Lottery officials say they have concluded its investigation into the compliance check, according to a CBS report.
“While there were some inconsistencies regarding the proper procedures in handling the lottery ticket, the Lottery is satisfied that the incident was a result of the clerk’s misunderstanding of those procedures,” officials said.
The station’s retail staff will undergo further training, and Lottery officials commended the station manager Shamsun Islam for her effort in trying to find the 'winner.'
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