# You're too stupid to be a millionaire!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 6, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995 "2004-01-06T13:42:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/41 "2004-01-06T17:19:20Z")
IANAL, but if the ticket had been _stolen_ from her, she would have a legitimate claim even if she hadn’t registered or signed the ticket. William Poundstone, honorary Doper and author of _Biggest Secrets_, details a similar situation in which a man had a $10,000 ticket stolen from him in a bar in San Pedro, CA. When the thief tried to cash it, lottery authorities asked him where he’d bought it. The thief couldn’t answer properly (all tickets can be matched with their point of sale, which was Poundstone’s point in telling the story), and police returned the ticket to the original purchaser. I have a strong suspicion that, in this case though, the police’s answer is going to be “tough noogies.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/42 "2004-01-06T17:19:28Z")
I would hope that whoever found the ticket had the good sense to wipe it for fingerprints. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/43 "2004-01-06T17:24:27Z")
Well… if she can show a history of playing those numbers, buying tickets at that location AND the police report showing when and where she lost the ticket was made before the lottery made the info public, then I’d have to say she lost the ticket. However, since she reported the loss on Friday the 2nd > [@](#): > > Police say Battle was in tears when she came to the station Friday to file the report and did not hesitate when asked to write down the winning numbers. and there were hordes of reporters outside the store on Wednesday the 31st… > [@](#): > > Jagdish Shah, owner of Quick Shop Food Mart, where the ticket was sold, learned about the prize when he arrived to open about 7 a.m. Wednesday and his parking lot was full of reporters and television station trucks. she’s shit out of luck. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/44 "2004-01-06T17:28:20Z")
Someone has turned in the ticket. [http://www.nbc13.com/news/2743313/detail.html](http://www.nbc13.com/news/2743313/detail.html) > [@](#): > > The Ohio Lottery says a South Euclid woman turned in the winning ticket for a $162 million Mega Millions lottery, not the Cleveland woman who claims she lost the ticket last week. > > Rebecca Jemison turned in the ticket for the 11-state jackpot at Ohio Lottery headquarters in downtown Cleveland. She and her husband appeared at a news conference Monday morning to claim the prize. > > Jemison has a husband, Sam, and a 12-year-old daughter. > > Officials say Jemison is taking the lump-sum cash payout, worth about $95 million before taxes, which is worth $67.2 million after taxes. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/45 "2004-01-06T17:29:18Z")
Battle’s gonna be real fun in bed tonite. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/46 "2004-01-06T17:47:44Z")
If she bought it at a convenience store or something similar that has security cameras, it would be seem easy to prove she bought the ticket. Compare the time of her buying the ticket on the camera to the lottery database and see of they match. As for any lawsuits, I can imagine them dragging on for a long time and making plenty of lawyers wealthy. The worst lottery story happened a year or two ago. When the Powerball was up in the hundreds of millions area, a group of coworkers pooled their money to buy tickets. A winning ticket was purchased in their state and Monday morning; ticket purchaser/holder does not show up for work. Coworkers immediately jump to conclusion that their ticket won and their coworker is going to rip them off. They get a lawyer and contact the media. Media starts digging around and says that a winning ticket may have been purchased at the store. This goes on a few days. Turns out the coworker who had the tickets was out of work due to the flu and the tickets were not winners. Nation moves closer to total collapse from stupidity. I remember watching this on the news thinking, "WTF is wrong with these people?” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/47 "2004-01-06T18:01:11Z")
[She was lying](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,107454,00.html). The lady that cashed it had a receipt. No soup for you, Ms. Battle. 😃 ( **Long Road** : the reports were that the security cameras weren’t working on the day the ticket was bought. It’s a moot point now anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/48 "2004-01-06T18:06:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by green\_bladder \* > \*\*Thought this was gonna be about Paris Hilton… \*\* I thought it was going to be about the couple who [celebrated their winning ticket at a Steak & Shake](http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/7626368.htm). > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don’t ask \* > **I remember years ago seeing a piece on TV about a couple searching a garbage dump for their winning ticket they had thrown out in the trash? Did they ever find it?** I don’t know about that but there was one recently where a couple realized they had thrown out the winning ticket and was able to retrieve it because of a garbage strike. I think that was in Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/49 "2004-01-06T18:15:56Z")
[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,107454,00.html](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,107454,00.html) My original assertion that Battle is an idiot stands. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/50 "2004-01-06T18:23:48Z")
I hope they throw the book at that lying rag. I wonder what her lawyer is doing. ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/51 "2004-01-06T18:46:24Z")
Jeez, people… I’m ashamed of you. You find a winning lottery ticket worth $160,000,000. You **KNOW** exactly who lost it. Not **ONE** of you suggested doing the right thing…giving her back the $1.00 she paid for the ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/52 "2004-01-06T18:59:06Z")
I don’t see the point in checking receipts, security cameras, etc. at all. Isn’t the law written such that the person who presents the winning ticket the person that gets the money, no ifs ands or buts? I don’t think Battle deserved anything more than a boohoo here, but now I think she deserves to have criminal charges thrown against her. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/53 "2004-01-06T18:59:32Z")
She would have danced for that dollar if that was me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/54 "2004-01-06T21:10:10Z")
From the link provided by World Eater: > [@](#): > > The biggest single-ticket winner in the world is Jack Whittaker Jr. of West Virginia. He won a $314.9 million jackpot in Powerball in December 2002. I read recently that this guy is miserable. People have been coming to him from all over the world begging for money. Of course he said publicly that he would give money to people in need so he brought it on himself. If I were to win the lotto, I’d tell everyone I got the numbers from a Ouija board. None of that birthdays and ages bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/55 "2004-01-06T21:46:47Z")
Wow, Mr. Whittaker isn’t too bright (nice and generous but rather dumb). And I hope Ms. Battle gets charged for filing a false police report. I wonder if Mrs. Jemison is looking to adopt… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/56 "2004-01-06T22:13:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NurseCarmen \* > \*\*A solid gold helicopter would _never_ get off the ground. But if you could afford one, that wouldn’t really be the point I guess. \*\* It will when I lift it with my jewel-encrusted crane. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/57 "2004-01-07T00:19:52Z")
Wow, DtC citting Fox News. Is that a first? 😉 If the lady found the purse, isn’t it entirely possible that it also contained the receipt and last week’s ticket? If I found the ticket, I wouldn’t keep the money then call her up to taunt her. I’d keep them money and send her a fruit basket with a thank you card. Seems a little more insulting to me. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/58 "2004-01-07T00:46:44Z")
As I posted in the MPSIMS thread; Back when the first Powerball jackpot was won in Minnesota, a woman called the State Lottery and claimed that her maid had accidentally thrown away the ticket and wanted to know how to claim the jackpot without it. A brief discussion of the consequences of fraud ensued, which discouraged the woman from making further attempts to claim the money. It only came to light because the Lottery folks themselves brought it to the media, saying that **you cannot claim the money without the ticket. It is a bearer instrument.** You lose it, throw it away or whatever, then tough shit. No money for you. Otherwise they’d have 80 million people swearing up and down that they won every freaking drawing. Ms. Battle is going through all manner of bad publicity now, all of which she brought on herself. She has trashed her own reputation in a very public, nationwide manner. Her best bet is to drop the whole thing and drop off the face of the Earth, lest she face criminal charges as well. Too bad we can’t sucker all those cons into hounding her for her (non-existant) money for the next 20 years… ---
**Author:** ![45\_70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/5f9b8f/32.png) [@45\_70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/45_70)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/59 "2004-01-07T00:59:31Z")
Additional info. > **[Ohio Lottery Loser's Tall Tale](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/ohio-lottery-losers-tall-tale)** > > 1/9 UPDATE: Battle charged for filing false report > 1/8 UPDATE: Elecia Battle today admitted that her story of lottery woe was fiction and that she was dropping a lawsuit filed against the real Mega M ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/60 "2004-01-07T01:01:33Z")
Um, is it possible that they BOTH had winning tickets, that by coincidence, they both picked the same exact numbers? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995.md?page=4)