Jeanne Consola thought she was in the money when her instant lottery ticket matched the winning numbers which would have entitled her to a five million dollar prize. But, as luck would have it, the State Division of the Lottery refused to honor the ticket, claiming it wasn't valid.
Her misfortune continued when she later filed suit and the Court of Claims threw her case out.
Although Consola's ticket showed a "6," lottery officials demonstrated that there had been a printing error and that the actual number should have been a "26." (Apparently, the lady's ticket was among a few thousand misprinted tickets.)
Because the Lottery established that the validation number on Consola's ticket didn't match those on the official winners' list, and since she couldn't otherwise demonstrate an entitlement to the prize, the only consolation which the Appellate Division, Third Department, afforded Consola--was a replacement ticket.
Pretty sad.
To view a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use link: Consola v. State of New York