Lotto Million winning ticket stolen by ticket office staff

It's not uncommon for lottery winners to miss out on thousands or even millions of euros because they've lost their winning ticket or simply didn't think to follow the draw. On the other hand, it is much less common for a million-euro ticket to be stolen by lottery office staff, as was recently reported in Stern magazine. How did it happen?

Lotteries are a traditional, absolutely established game of chance and are extremely popular in many countries around the world, including Germany. In fact, despite all the online gambling and sports betting, the lottery is still the most popular way to bet money and (at best) multiply it. With such a large following, it's no wonder that lotteries regularly produce some strange stories.

One of the most exciting lottery incidents occurred in the spring of 2023, when US man Paul Little won a whopping 3 million. He had won a whopping 3 million dollars. But the ticket had gone missing. At first he thought it was bad luck - but in fact he had been robbed. The staff at the kiosk where Little had bought his ticket had taken advantage of the situation.

Lottery office staff seize their chance

For Paul Little of Massachusetts, it started out as just another trip to the local convenience store. As is often the case, he was buying a quick snack for the evening's TV viewing when he saw that there was a big lottery jackpot on offer. So he promptly decided to fill in two more tickets, but didn't really think about winning the big prize.

That evening, Carly Nunes and her colleague Joseph Reddem were on duty. Nunes, 24, scanned the purchases and printed out the receipts for the tickets. Paul Little was packing up his things, but left the lottery printout on the counter. The two clerks did not put it aside, as is customary, to await a possible report from the owner. They kept it for themselves, hoping for a win.

Indeed, the lottery was successful - and how: Little's numbers came up with a whopping three million dollars. He registered the win himself, only to find that the receipt he needed to claim the prize was nowhere to be found. Dejected, he thought he'd simply lost the printout - it didn't occur to him to ask at the kiosk.

The thieves flew up because of an argument

Carly Nunes and Joseph Reddem were overjoyed when they realised that keeping the receipt seemed to be a complete success for them. They immediately went to the lottery headquarters to claim their winnings. In fact, the staff were already getting everything ready for the payout.

But then an argument broke out between the thieves about how to share the million-dollar prize. Carly Nunes and her colleague had apparently not discussed who should get what share. Nunes only wanted to give Reddem ten percent instead of half, since she had finally found the receipt. Reddem was not prepared to be fobbed off like that. Unfortunately for her, the staff overheard the argument and became suspicious.

They stopped the payment and put the two away for the time being. An investigation was immediately launched and the police informed. The authorities reviewed video from the kiosk's surveillance cameras and evaluated what they learned. It became clear that Carly Nunes and Joseph Reddem were not the rightful winners. The footage clearly showed that Paul Little had filled out the ticket and accidentally left his receipt behind, according to local police.

Remanded in custody pending further action

About six months later, Paul Little received his million-dollar windfall, and the kiosk's employees were left in a lot of trouble. Little was surprised and overjoyed, the Star reported:

"I really have a whole new respect for what the Lottery does to make sure the right winners get their prize. I can't say enough good things about the people who have helped me get to this point."

Carly Nunes, on the other hand, was remanded in custody. Further significant repercussions are likely. So far, however, no verdict has been reached. Nunes is likely to face jail time. In the case of her colleague, the jury is still out. After an initial court hearing, Reddem was initially released. In any case, both have lost their jobs.

Conclusion

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/illustrations/video-%C3%BCberwachung-sicherheit-117580/