# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![eli\_the\_fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ccd318/32.png) [@eli\_the\_fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eli_the_fanatic)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/61 "2004-01-07T01:07:51Z")
No, Guinastasia, because the lottery officials know how many winning tickets were sold, and where. ---
**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 7, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/62 "2004-01-07T01:16:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Long Road \* > \*\*From the link provided by World Eater: > > 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. \*\* Wasn’t that the guy who had $500,000 in a suitcase that he left on his carseat and the door unlocked? ---
**Author:** ![Scorpio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Scorpio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scorpio)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/63 "2004-01-07T02:16:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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? \*\* This was in Western Aus. A guy in some country town - searched the town dump for weeks, eventually said anyone who found it could keep it (or perhaps said if people would help him look he would split it/donate money to the town). And then some other guy in some completely different country town found it where it had been all along - in his glovebox, forgotten. If I was dump-guy, I’d be relieved more than pissed. ---
**Author:** ![Scorpio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Scorpio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scorpio)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/64 "2004-01-07T02:19:39Z")
And re the receipt - couldn’t this just be a general receipt showing she purchased A ticket, not necessarily THE ticket? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/65 "2004-01-07T02:44:59Z")
Just a note - a lottery ticket is not _completely_ a bearer instrument. If you fill out the back, it’s yours, and no one else will be able to cash it. Doesn’t help if you put it in the dumpster or a snow bank, but it would certainly increase your chances of getting it back if you offer a reward. ---
**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 7, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/66 "2004-01-07T02:45:48Z")
I think the kicker is that she has a receipt from the store where the ticket was sold and at the exact time it was sold. A hell of a lot more then scam bitch has shown. ---
**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 7, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/67 "2004-01-07T03:02:07Z")
> [@](#): > > If the lady found the purse, isn’t it entirely possible that it also contained the receipt and last week’s ticket? Battle didn’t say she lost her purse, she said the ticket _fell out_ of her purse when she dropped it. > [@](#): > > And re the receipt - couldn’t this just be a general receipt showing she purchased A ticket, not necessarily THE ticket? The receipt would have the time of purchase on it as would the lottery ticket. ---
**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 7, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/68 "2004-01-07T03:08:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Wasn’t that the guy who had $500,000 in a suitcase that he left on his carseat and the door unlocked? \*\* He was in a strip club with a briefcase containing $490,000, give or take a few thousand. One of the employees saw the money and robbed him in the parking lot. I don’t remember if they drugged him, knocked him out or what. The guy was later arrested and the money returned. He annoys me the most because he was already a millionaire. Bitch! ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/69 "2004-01-07T04:14:03Z")
**He was in a strip club with a briefcase containing $490,000, give or take a few thousand. One of the employees saw the money and robbed him in the parking lot. I don’t remember if they drugged him, knocked him out or what. The guy was later arrested and the money returned.** Sort of. He was at the strip joint. The owner and one of the strippers drugged his drink and he passed out. They then stole his SUV, which had the cash in there, and I guess the 2 brain cells they have between them petered out because they ended up throwing the money in a dumpster. And yes he was already rich. He’s done quite a bit of good with the lottery money, even though he’s turned into a dirty old man. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/70 "2004-01-07T05:24:21Z")
> [@](#): > > …even though he’s turned into a dirty old man. ? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/71 "2004-01-07T05:30:59Z")
The good Ms. Battle, as it turns out, has a very long rap sheet with previous arrests and convictions for fraud. Uh huh. Oh yeah. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/72 "2004-01-07T07:00:41Z")
And, BTW, that’s not Ms. Battle’s real name, but why let pesky details intercede at a moment of such high drama? ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/73 "2004-01-07T07:21:24Z")
Maybe Ms. Battle can be cellmates with the Wal-mart lady who was “trampled” ---
**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, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/74 "2004-01-07T12:42:06Z")
OK, it’s now accepted by everyone that Battle is a scammer, right? But how did she nail the store the ticket was sold from before that was public knowledge? Or did she? ---
**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, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/75 "2004-01-07T12:50:00Z")
Nevermind. Nobody cares. I still hope Ms. Jemison sends a fruit basket. ---
**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 7, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/76 "2004-01-07T12:57:43Z")
IIRC it was announced there was a winner in Dec 31 and she went to the cops on Jan 2. Maybe they say where the winning ticket was sold on their website? There has to be a simple answer. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/77 "2004-01-07T13:04:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scorpio \* > \*\*And re the receipt - couldn’t this just be a general receipt showing she purchased A ticket, not necessarily THE ticket? \*\* Jemison also has another lottery ticket that she bought at the same time as well as a ticket from the previous draw that shows that she had played the same numbers last time. The lottery folks are quite confident that they’ve paid out to the right person. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/78 "2004-01-07T14:08:06Z")
Local news covered the story that a winning ticket was sold, the location and name of the store that sold it the day after the drawing was held. Fairly certain that’s how Mrs (Miss? Ms?) Battle (Dickson?) came by that information. There was quite a buzz because the winner didn’t come forth for a few days. The lottery commission’s computers can determine if there’s a winning number and where the ticket was sold. All that remains is for the ticket holder to come forth. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/79 "2004-01-07T14:41:35Z")
And all this time I thought it was about the guy on ‘Who Wants to be a millionnaire’ who, a couple days ago, answered Columbus Day to the very first question, which was: What holiday is celebrated on the first Monday in September? [I know, I know: a bad case of the jitters, but still…makes one wonder] ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995/80 "2004-01-07T15:41:38Z")
This reminds me of my classmate in 1st grade that, when asked for her homework, replied that she’d thrown it in the trash. I’ll never forget the sight of her sitting on the floor next to the trashcan, slowly opening up each wadded clump of paper in an attemp to retrieve what she and each and every one of us knew simply wasn’t there. She was found to be a liar and embarassed to a shade of beet red in front of the entire class. Of all the kids in that class from decades back, hers is the only name I remember. That event had previously been my mental image of brazen stupidity. But Ms. Battle’s perception that lottery officials and the public would buy into her bullshit tale simply takes the cake. It’s HDStupidity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-too-stupid-to-be-a-millionaire/222995.md?page=5)