ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A woman thought she had won $20,000 in the lottery, but lottery officials say an issue with the ticket voided the win.
Ardella Newman of bought a $2 scratch-off ticket in a lotto machine in Virginia, and she matched the No. 16 for $20,000.
"When I saw that $20,000, you don't know how excited I was," Newman told WJLA-TV.
Newman said she was going to help her ailing sister pay some medical bills, then a lotto official called her and said there was a mistake, and the ticket was issued in error.
A normal ticket has the winning numbers on the top. Newman's ticket had the winning numbers on the bottom, suggesting the machine cut the ticket in the wrong spot.
Newman says if there was a mistake, that's not her fault. She paid for the ticket.
"I want the money that I thought I won. If you look at the ticket, it says I won this money. I wasn't anything that I did wrong. It is what they did wrong," Newman said.
Newman has filed a complaint with the Virginia Lottery, and they are investigating.
WSBTV
