Indiana Man Thought He Won $100K Lottery Jackpot, Then Got Shocking News
An Indiana lottery player went from celebrating what he thought was a $100,000 jackpot to learning his winning ticket was actually worth only $20.
Mike Fields, a forklift driver from Indiana, bought several tickets for the newly released Space Invaders Cash Invasion scratch-off game. After scratching one ticket, he found a rocket ship symbol that appeared to reveal the game's top prize. Excited by the apparent six-figure win, he headed to lottery headquarters to claim his money.
Instead, lottery officials told him there had been a technical issue with the game. According to the Hoosier Lottery, the symbols printed on the ticket did not match the game's official validation records, reducing the prize value to just $20.
Key Highlights
- ? Ticket appeared to show a $100,000 grand prize
- ?? Lottery officials later ruled it was worth only $20
- ?? Another player thought he had won $2,500, but was told the ticket was not a winner
- ? Sales of the Space Invaders Cash Invasion game have been suspended
Fields said lottery representatives offered few details during his visit and told him he would receive more information by mail within 30 days.
He wasn't alone. Another Indiana resident, Glendon Jones, also believed he had won a significant prize before being told his ticket was affected by the same issue. Jones said he left lottery headquarters empty-handed after being informed the ticket was the result of a misprint.
In response, the Hoosier Lottery halted sales of the scratch-off game, which launched in May. Officials say players who believe their tickets were affected can submit protest forms along with their scratchers for review.
The lottery stated that sales were stopped to protect the integrity of the game while the issue is investigated further.
