Willis Willis, a man from Travis County, Dallas, decided to sue the Texas State Lottery Commission after his winning lottery ticket was stolen back in 2009. Along with the Texas Lottery Commission, Willis is also suing the owner of the store where the lucky ticket was purchased, GTECH Corp and Pankaj Joshi, a Nepalese who was studying in the United States and, authorities believe, ran from the country after stealing and cashing in on Willis’ lottery ticket. Lottery checker

Pankaj Joshi, slipped Willis’ ticket and “failed to tell him” that he had won the jackpot. The authorities recovered $395,000 from Joshi’s account and gave Willis the money. However, the whole sum received by the Nepalese was $750,000 after taxes.

The lawsuit aims to restitute the rest of the sum to Willis and get him some other damages, which remain unspecified. Mr. Willis’ attorneys have asked a judge for permission to discuss the matter under oath with lottery authorities but the Lottery appealed and the answer is still pending. Gaston Broyels, Assistant Attorney General and representative of the Lottery Commission, stated before District Judge Suzanne Covington that the lottery ticket represents a “bearer instrument” and that the lottery cannot pay a prize twice.

“Mr. Joshi was the bearer of that ticket,” Broyles stated. However, Willis’ attorneys said it was preposterous to believe Joshi is the rightful winner after the investigation by Austin police determined a criminal court judge to rule in Willis’ favor.

“It has taken two years too long to pay Mr. Willis the money owed him,” Sean Breen, who is part of Willis’ team of attorneys, stated. “We simply want the Texas Lottery or the store to pay him the money that its own agent stole.”

The suit has a claim that the state lottery “has been plagued by theft and corruption from store clerks (and) vendors/agents of the lottery. While the Texas Lottery touts itself as secure to the public, it is not,”

The fact of the matter is that what Joshi did was only possible because shop workers are not subject to any investigation if they come and claim a lottery prize. National lottery

Well, this event just comes to show that anyone who plays the lottery should be extremely careful with their lottery tickets. You never know when you are going to hit the jackpot, so it would be a lot better to be safe than to be sorry.