WASHINGTON — Ardella Newman thought she hit it big.
On Aug. 22, Newman purchased a $2 scratch-off ticket that matched the number 16, making it worth $20,000.
“When I saw that $20,000, you don’t know how excited I was,” she told WJLA.
However, lottery officials told her there had been a big mistake and the ticket was issued in error.
Lottery experts say a normal ticket has the winning numbers on the top. Newman’s ticket had the winning numbers listed on the bottom, meaning the machine may have cut the ticket in the wrong spot.
Officials with the store where the ticket was purchased said only trained lottery officials are allowed to load the machines.
“I want the money that I thought I won. If you look at the ticket, it says I won this money. It wasn’t anything that I did wrong. It’s what they did wrong,” she said.
Newman has filed a complaint with the Virginia Lottery. Lottery officials have not responded to WJLA’s request for comment.
