A Powerball player named John Cheeks, from Washington DC, experienced a rollercoaster of emotions when he purchased a Powerball ticket on January 6, 2023.
His excitement turned into disappointment when he was informed that his ticket was invalid due to an error.
A man believed that he won the jackpot after realizing the number on his ticket matched on the website
On January 6, 2023, John Cheeks bought a ticket for Powerball.
Despite missing the live drawing on January 7, Cheeks wasn't in a hurry to check the numbers due to the slim odds of winning the Powerball - around one in 292.2 million.
He checked the DC Lottery's website the next day. Then, He was excited as noticed the number on his ticket matched those displayed on the website, leading him to believe he had hit the jackpot.
His dream of becoming a billionaire was shattered when the company announced a website error.
John believed that he was the year's first multimillionaire.
When he had won the Powerball lottery, which would have earned him a staggering $340 million.
However, his dreams were shattered when the company declared there was a 'mistake'. The numbers on his ticket matched those displayed on the website, leading him to believe he had hit the jackpot.
John's ticket was denied after the company declared the website error
When Cheeks went to the DC Office of Lottery and Gaming prize center to verify his ticket, he was told it was invalid.
The issue arose when the numbers displayed on the website did not match those drawn live on the program.
The issue was due to a website error leading to John being denied $340M.
He said: 'Hey, this ticket is no good. Just throw it in the trash can.
“And I gave him a stern look. I said, ‘In the trash can?’ ‘Oh yeah, just throw it away. You’re not gonna get paid. There’s a trash can right there.’”
After the incident, John sued Powerball and DC Lottery
After Powerball and DC Lottery announced that his ticket was not valid, despite the numbers matching those on the website.
Cheeks is now suing Powerball and DC Lottery after this issue.
Cheeks has filed a lawsuit through his attorney, Richard Evans. He claimed that contractor Taoti Enterprises made a 'mistake' and accidentally posted the wrong numbers on the website.
In the inter view with NBC 4, Ean said: “They have said that one of their contractors made a mistake. I haven’t seen the evidence to support that yet.”
Previously, the couple won a $200 million jackpot but realized they couldn't receive the money
A young couple left devastated after their numbers came up for the $216 million jackpot on the EuroMillions after realizing they couldn't receive money.
The couple, Rachel Kennedy and Liam McCrohan were s, only to find out they were not eligible for the prize.
Rachel told The Sun at the time: "I went on the app and it said 'Winning Match' and I thought 'Oh my God, I’ve won.' So I called my boyfriend Liam and my mum into the room and they couldn't believe it either."
However, their dream of having a mansion and luxury cars was devastated.
The couple faced crushing disappointment after realizing that her ticket payment hadn't gone through on the crucial night.
She explained: "I called the number thinking that I had won $200 million and they said 'Yeah you've got the right numbers but you didn’t have the funds in your account for the payment of the ticket.'
