SEARCH NEWS:

 

Florida Lottery Machines Give False Reading

"Don't trash your ticket just yet.

"…One state lottery official estimated the machines have a .01 percent chance of giving a false reading on a winning ticket.

"Slim odds for sure, but such is the nature of the lottery.

"Sumire Sugimoto of Weston, who spends $4 a week on the Florida Lotto, was shocked recently to find that the machine at her local Publix didn't register her winning ticket.

"…`'Anything's possible,'' said a Florida Lottery spokesman. `It's a machine -- it's a computer that runs on a telephone wire from the main headquarters.'

"Leo DiBenigno, assistant secretary for public affairs for the Florida Lottery, says he can't recall an incident where a machine misread a ticket. But he advises that consumers double-check the lotto numbers before throwing their tickets in the trash.

"…Sugimoto, who double-checked her lottery numbers on the Web site, now has to mail in a claim form to collect her winnings. She has 180 days from the date of the draw to claim her prize -- $4.50…"

< Gaming News