Winning the lottery is a dream for many people now. But new reports show that some lottery winners in Florida, USA have a problem. They could not get all the money they won.
Authorities withhold lottery winners' winnings due to a little-known 'simple mistake'
According to statistics, Americans spent $105.26 billion on lottery tickets last year alone, making the gambling industry one of the biggest contributors.
Although the odds of winning the big jackpot are only about 1 in 292.2 million, around 50% of US-based players still buy a ticket at least once a year.
One of the lucky lottery winners in Florida, Bob Calamita, won $1,000 and went to the local office to collect his prize.
However, when he tried to cash in his ticket, he was handed a letter from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity claiming he owed them $3,000 due to an unemployment overpayment made during the pandemic.
Bob Calamita said he did not owe any money. He explained that if he owed money, he would have paid it, but he did not owe anything.
After some arguments, the authorities eventually provided Calamita with the full $1,000 he had won.
Investigations revealed that there had been a mix-up and a computer-generated error in the fraud system that had incorrectly flagged the man as a perpetrator.
Interestingly, Calamita is not the only Florida resident who allegedly had their lottery winnings withheld.
Kathleen Lambert, another winner, drove an hour and a half to the Florida Lottery office in Gainesville after winning $1,000 on a scratch card, only to be told she had a $1,200 debt to settle.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has stated that they are looking into these issues.
Authorities claim they are now investigating the various problems that have led to these cases of lottery winners having their winnings withheld due to a "simple mistake."
Previously, a mother in Florida was outraged after the state seized her entire lottery winnings when she went to collect her prize.
This incident has sparked outrage among many other residents who have also been denied their rightful lottery winnings.
The issue appears to stem from the state's Department of Commerce, which claims these people owe money because they were overpaid for unemployment benefits in the past.
Brittany Wilson, the Florida mother, had won $5,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket and was excited to use the money to pay bills and provide for her two children.
However, the Florida Lottery Office seized her winnings due to an alleged state debt. Wilson doubted the state's claim as they had never informed her about owing money before.
Surprisingly, when she won $1,000 the previous year, she didn't have the same problem.
After an investigation by ABC News, Wilson ultimately received her lottery prize, and the debt was removed from the system.
However, it remains unclear why many others have faced similar issues.
