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LOTT TO LOSE
The lottery player said she received a surprise letter after she went to claim her prize
- Elizabeta Ranxburgaj
- Elizabeta Ranxburgaj
A LOTTERY winner said she was left confused and angry after she was unable to take home her prize.
Kathleen Lambert said her $1,000 lotto winnings were withheld by a state department.
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Lambert said she received the shock news after she visited the Florida Lottery office in Gainsville.
She shared that she and her husband won $1,000 from a scratch card they had played.
"Talk about a thrill," she told Fox affiliate WOFL.
"I was so excited, laughing and showing everybody, but that was very short-lived when we drove an hour and a half to the Gainesville lottery office waiting for that nice check.
READ MORE ON LOTTERY
“And my jaw dropped."
Lambert was handed a letter from FloridaCommerce which stated her lottery win would be withheld due to money her husband owed.
The department said he owed $1,200 had come from unemployment benefit overpayments made during the pandemic.
The lottery player argued she and her husband had supposedly not been made aware of this amount.
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Lambert said the couple had previously received a letter that said they owed $275 in overpayments.
The wife reportedly showed WOFL a check that proved the couple had paid back this amount.
My lottery win turned into a absolute nightmare…I walked away empty handed
Lambert said she was left angered by the situation.
"I think it’s downright sneaky," she said.
"It’s undermining to lottery winners.
“It’s like, we don’t owe you any money, you overpaid, you waived it you said, but then if you win the lottery you don’t get anything.”
Top lottery winners in the US
Millions dream of winning the lottery and finding fame and fortune. These are the biggest winners in US lottery history.
- Edwin Castro - $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022, in California.
- Theodorus Struyck - $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, in California.
- Unknown winner - $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, in Florida.
- Marvin and Mae Acosta from Los Angeles, California, John and Lisa Robinson from Munford, Tennessee, and Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt from Melbourne Beach, Florida - $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016.
- Unknown winner - $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, from South Carolina.
- Unknown winner - he sued the mother of his child to keep his identity hidden - $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, from Maine.
- Unknown winner - $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, from Illinois.
- Cheng and Duanpen Saephan, and Laiza Liem Chao - $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024, from Oregon.
- Yanira Alvarez - $1.08 billion Powerball, July 19, 2023 in California.
- Wolverine FLL Lottery Club - $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, from Michigan.
- Unknown winner - $842.4 million Powerball, Jan. 1, 2024, from Michigan.
The lottery player said she had planned to spend her winnings on a family trip to Disney World.
“I know it costs more than $1,000 but that would have helped a lot,” she said
“So, to my surprise, there was no Disney World.
FloridaCommerce told WOFL that it was looking into the case.
LOTTO WOES
Lambert has not been the only lottery player to have her winning withheld in similar cases, The U.S. Sun has previously reported.
Brittany Wilson said she was initially stopped from taking home her $5,000 prize.
Wilson, from Florida, said state officials handed her a paper that said the money would be withheld due to overpaid unemployment benefits.
She also claimed she had not previously received a letter or warning from the state over this money.
Read More on The US Sun
Wilson confirmed that the issue was resolved several weeks later.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to FloridaCommerce for comment.
Topics
- Lotto
- Money US
- US Lottery
- Florida
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