Man misses out on winning lottery jackpot because winning ticket was printed out seven seconds too late

QUEBEC: -- A Quebec man who bought a lottery ticket seven seconds too late to be declared the winner has lost his Supreme Court of Canada bid to appeal a decision denying him half of the US$35 million dollar prize.

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to accept Joel Ifergan’s appeal.

Ifergan bought two Super 7 tickets in May 2008, seconds before the 9pm cut-off.

The first ticket was printed showing the May 23 date — that night’s draw.

Full story: http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/man-misses-out-on-winning-lottery-jackpot-because-winning-ticket-was-printed-out-seven-seconds-too-late/story-fnh81jut-1227202058082


-- News.com.au 2015-01-30

Bummer, maybe the other winner could spare a 1 million consolation prize

Well, a cut-off point is a cut-off point. Thailand could do with learning that too.

However (I couldn't link to the rest of the article), it would seem, I guess, that his contention was that he bought the tickets before the cut-off, but the processing was slow. Tough call.

For seven seconds, and half of 35M USD$, he probably should have hired on contingency the very best lawyer. Argue things such as lag (Qebec to the US processing site, both ways) and perhaps shown that he had handed his money over before cut-off.

In a case such as this, where there could be a degree of interpretation....I reckon the judge should have sided with the idea that 2 people share the money.

Edited January 30, 201511 yr by Seastallion

Stupid ! He don't have time to buy it before 9 PM ?

Here it until 6 PM and everybody has time !

He gambled. The house accepted his bet. Why wasn't he paid?

He gambled. The house accepted his bet. Why wasn't he paid?

Because the ticket wasn't printed in time!! If he'd wandered in 10 seconds earlier he may have been OK.

He gambled.....he lost, or maybe didn't win would be closer.

haha. lost his winnings on a technicality. just another way the lottery takes your money. sucker.

If he couldn't be in the draw why did they accept his money?

His ticket will presumably be for the next draw. That will be no consolation to him I am sure

If he couldn't be in the draw why did they accept his money?

He was in the draw.

He bought 2 tickets, one was valid for that days draw and didn't win, the other was valid for the next draw (and could still win, although highly unlikely).

haha. lost his winnings on a technicality. just another way the lottery takes your money. sucker.

It wasn't a technicality. He bought his ticket too late. Imagine what would happen if there was no deadline....the one winner would be in court trying to prevent the late ticket buyer from collecting. No fault but his own, and his advice to take it to court was very poor advice.

The lottery company doesn't benefit at his expense...they still pay the prize but to only one winner, not the luckless loser. Next time he won't go to buy at 10 seconds to 9.00 pm.

His second ticket will no doubt be in the next draw.

Edited January 30, 201511 yr by F4UCorsair

Did he get the price of the ticket returned? If that wasn't forthcoming then he should have got the prise. The software should prevent this type thing happening.

He's going to think about every delay and unimportant thing he did that day... forever.

Well at least he should be entitled to a refund for the cost of the ticket that didn't count. Plying the lottery says it all. No sympathy.

If the ticket purchase, i.e. the currency exchange could be documented as being before the cutoff (this would require a receipt of some kind, or at the very least time stamped video footage), there could be grounds for a case. Barring that, he is sh*t out of luck. On the other hand, if he bought the two tickets in one transaction, then the timestamp on the first ticket ought to be able to bolster his case. As for they who are after him for not buying the ticket in a more timely fashion, that is a ridiculous argument, as he may have been unable to get to the store any earlier for any number of reasons, and was obviously there in time, but subject to the queue. Understanding that he will be viewed by some as having gambled and lost, there is still the reality, replete with evidence, that he was at the window placing his bet before the start of the race. That should count for something.

Well, a cut-off point is a cut-off point. Thailand could do with learning that too.

However (I couldn't link to the rest of the article), it would seem, I guess, that his contention was that he bought the tickets before the cut-off, but the processing was slow. Tough call.

For seven seconds, and half of 35M USD$, he probably should have hired on contingency the very best lawyer. Argue things such as lag (Qebec to the US processing site, both ways) and perhaps shown that he had handed his money over before cut-off.

In a case such as this, where there could be a degree of interpretation....I reckon the judge should have sided with the idea that 2 people share the money.

my bad

correct link: http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/man-misses-out-on-winning-lottery-jackpot-because-winning-ticket-was-printed-out-seven-seconds-too-late/story-fnh81jut-1227202058082

All lottery profits go to charity in Canada. Any draws that do not produce a winner have their amounts added to the next draw. He waited to long end of story.

It would piss me off if it happened to me but I would have to admit it was my fault for waiting too long. When the ticket was purchased it had the next weeks date on it, plain and simple.

What if there you were also a winner. Would you want to share your winnings with a guy who's ticket was dated for the next draw and not this one?

His ticket will presumably be for the next draw. That will be no consolation to him I am sure

My experience of buying lottery tickets is in the UK and the ticket tells you the dates of the draws you are entered in whether its one or several dates.

Interesting if instead of his numbers coming up on the draw that he was entered in actually came up on the next draw and won the jackpot would he have qualified for that?

All lottery profits go to charity in Canada. Any draws that do not produce a winner have their amounts added to the next draw. He waited to long end of story.

It would piss me off if it happened to me but I would have to admit it was my fault for waiting too long. When the ticket was purchased it had the next weeks date on it, plain and simple.

What if there you were also a winner. Would you want to share your winnings with a guy who's ticket was dated for the next draw and not this one?

He was suing the lottery regulator, the other winner would have still kept the full jackpot.

They should give him a million and take it from the next jackpot. The winner won't miss it and it would be a nice thing to do

Lotteries have obviously got to have a cut off time for buying tickets before the draw.

Maybe the guy here is like someone I know in the UK who buys his ticket as close to the cut off time (7:30pm on the day of the draw) as possible; he wants to be the last person to buy a ticket for that draw as he reckons it's lucky.

Often he's been too late and just missed the cut of time; but in the UK ticket sales close then and reopen at 8am the next day so he's not got a ticket for the next draw, just his money back.

He's never said if he would have won had he been in time!

An aside: the UK lottery has 6 numbers and as the numbers are picked randomly the sequence 1,2,3,4,5,6 has as much chance of winning as any other set of six.

However, it is estimated that around 10,000 people choose that sequence for every draw; so if it did come up any one who won would be sharing the jackpot with 9,999 people!

The estimated jackpot for today (31/1) is £4,100,000; so those 10,000 people would get £410 each.

I thought this was going to be about that old, rich geezer who married Anna Nicole Smith, 555