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Woman Sues Over Can't-Win Colorado Scratch Tickets Save Email Print
Posted: 5:30 PM Jul 12, 2008
 Last Updated: 5:59 PM Jul 12, 2008
 Reporter: Associated Press
16 comments
A | A | A

A Colorado Springs woman who bought scratch tickets with no chance of winning the top prize is suing the owner of the gas station where she bought the tickets a decade ago.

LaVonne Bazemore Watkins said she bought a $2 "Luck of the Zodiac" scratch ticket in hopes of winning the top $10,000 prize. However, she later learned that the last $10,000 award had been claimed more than two months before.

About 20 states, including Colorado, continue to sell scratch tickets after all of the top prizes have been given away.

Colorado Lottery spokeswoman Erika Gonzalez said most games end after the top prizes are gone but she said people aren't just interested in the top prize.

Watkins originally sued the Lottery but recently the state Supreme Court said they were protected the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act.

Players can ask retailers to check which games no longer have a top prize or check the Lottery's Web site -- coloradolottery.com -- before they buy a ticket.

That information wasn't available when Watkins bought her ticket in 1998.
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Posted by: LOL on Jul 16, 2008 at 07:27 AM
OMG- THIS IS SOOO FUNNY... I PLAY SCRATCH TICKETS ALL THE TIME AND MY CHANCES OF WINNING ARE VERY SLIM, I DO KNOW THIS.. AND IF I GET MONEY OUT OF IT, THAN AWESOME!! BUT IF I DONT THAN OWELL, WHO CARES... IM NOT GOING TO RUN AND CRY TO A LAWYER AND SUE BECAUSE THE SALES CLERK DIDNT TELL ME THAT SOMEONE WON THE GRAND PRIZE!!! LOL. THIS LADY IS A HOOT.. LMAO.. O MAN.
Posted by: Native Location: CS on Jul 15, 2008 at 07:02 PM
Glad to hear you won the money on a lottery ticket instead of getting it from the taxpayers. Have fun spending it!
Posted by: Troy Location: Loveland, CO on Jul 15, 2008 at 05:26 PM
Consider this, folks: Each scratch ticket game has a certain amount of prize money allocated to it. It is not wrong to continue selling tickets for a game in which the top prize has been won because there is still plenty of money left from that game's "pot" to win. Sheesh....everyone wants the biggest and best and can't just be grateful to have an opportunity to win anything at all. Say you spent $2 on a couple scratch tickets with no top prize available and won $100. That's $98 more than you had. Would you still be ungrateful?
Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 15, 2008 at 12:20 PM
native-Gomez's sister won $100,000 a few months ago on a scratch ticket! What a lucky family right? =p
Posted by: Ashamed Coloradoan Location: C/S on Jul 15, 2008 at 05:19 AM
db exhibits the typical hateful attitude/mentality that we've come to know from so many Coloradoans.
Posted by: Ryan Location: C/S on Jul 15, 2008 at 04:59 AM
db, get bent!
Posted by: Sean Location: CO on Jul 14, 2008 at 05:01 PM
There was a similar case I believe to be in the Northeast about 2 weeks ago. I am sure loser girl wanted a quick buck and headline time so she is doing the same. What a joke...get a life (for real.)
Posted by: TR Location: Cripple Creek on Jul 14, 2008 at 04:35 PM
Gambling is not forced on anyone. Remeber people it is called "Gambling" or "Gaming" for a reason, if you were guaranteed to win, it would be called Sure-Thinging. And of course "The safest way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it back in pocket."
Posted by: nick Location: c/s on Jul 14, 2008 at 12:56 PM
she spent 2 dollars? give her back her two dollars and tell her to shut up!
Posted by: Native Location: C/S on Jul 14, 2008 at 08:49 AM
The prizes are set in each batch of lottery tickets. It would be unfair for people to expect the selling f these tickets to stop when the big winners are claimed. Without profit the games wuld not exist. I do believe the woman wanting to sue should get in line behind Anthony Gomez as he has attempted to sue the state for getting hurt while attempting to escape. We wonder why people no longer take lawsuits serious!
Posted by: db Location: Colorado Springs on Jul 14, 2008 at 12:24 AM
Ryan, thank you for your homophobic comment. It is rare for someone outside the klan to announce that they are nothing more than a closed-minded bigot. I hope your hood and bed sheet still fits because there is a burning cross to dance around.
Posted by: Jennifer Location: CSpgs on Jul 13, 2008 at 01:44 PM
10 years ago? Can you say frivolous? While I do not think it is okay to sell tickets for a game when the top prize is no longer available, I don't think someone should be able to sue 10 years later! Tax dollars at waste.
Posted by: Ryan Location: C/S on Jul 13, 2008 at 06:56 AM
Selling tickets after the prize was awarded is as wrong as two boys having sex with each other.
Posted by: db Location: Colorado Springs on Jul 13, 2008 at 12:35 AM
If there is no chance of winning the top prize claimed, they should not be able to sell the tickets....it seems an awful lot like fraud to say you can win 10k when there is no possible chance of doing so.
Posted by: Andy Location: Colorado Springs on Jul 12, 2008 at 08:17 PM
Give me a break! Can't win the money so I'm gonna make them give it to me. It's somebody elses fault so darned if I'm not gonna sue them for a ticket where I have a 1:20000 chance of winning the top prize. What a joke. Grow up lady and realize that you probably wouldn't have won anyways and quite copying what you see on the news!
Posted by: Dusty Location: Southern Colorado on Jul 12, 2008 at 07:09 PM
Would she have sued if she had one five hundred or even one hundred dollars ? I believe we have a professional victim looking for a free ride. Do not like to lose? Do not play the game !!
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