The fact that he sent his 16-year-old son into a Mobil gas station on Bellflower Boulevard in Long Beach to cash out the 12 winning tickets is what is at the heart of the matter, and the basis for a new lawsuit.
Thomas is seeking more than $50,000 in general damages. In the lawsuit, Thomas claims on or around October 16 at 8 p.m. he and his 16-year-old son Benjamin went to the store to buy California Lottery tickets, which they had done in the past. Benjamin bought five Scratchers tickets at $20 each and was given the remaining $230 to take home. He then validated the ticket again the next day at the state’s Lottery District in Santa Ana. As seen in the above photo from 2005, patrons lined up outside a store to play California Lottery games, including Mega Millions lottery tickets, as well as Super Lotto tickets, and Scratchers, in Hawthorne, California.
But two months later, the state and the commission “improperly” withheld the prize money from Thomas because his son – who at 16, was not legally able to play – bought the ticket, according to the suit.
Two months later, in December of a year ago, the gaming commission of California has denied his prize because the ticket was purchased by a minor. Now, his father is suing to get the money that’s being denied by the state.
In the lawsuit, which was filed last Friday in the Superior Court of Los Angeles, Ward Thomas says that he should receive the prize since no one has mentioned to his son that he was too young to buy the ticket, and, therefore, that the commission has failed in its responsibilities. Just like in Québec, a person wanting to buy a lottery ticket in California must be 18 years of age or more. The lawsuit states Ward has suffered and will continue to suffer financial losses including interest and other damages because of the ongoing issue.
The Lottery Commission told KABC-TV (http://bit.ly/2uKoqFh ) that it can’t comment on pending litigation.