The strangest Iowa Lottery prize giveaway in state history just go weirder.
So far, at least a half-dozen people have told lottery officials that the multimillion-dollar Hot Lotto ticket — which had been held for nearly a year — was stolen.
The ticket, purchased at a northeast Des Moines convenience store, was originally worth $16.5 million and was turned in Thursday afternoon by lawyers on behalf of a New York trust, just an hour and 50 minutes before it was to expire.
Reports that a winning ticket was stolen are common, said Mary Neubauer, lottery spokeswoman.
“I think every time we've had a jackpot that had gone unclaimed for a longer than usual amount of time, we’ve had reports of the ticket being stolen,” she said. “I think with all the intrigue of this winner, it has taken (the claims) up a notch.”
There has never been a proven case of lottery ticket theft in Iowa, lottery officials said Friday.
So far, at least a half-dozen people have told lottery officials that the multimillion-dollar Hot Lotto ticket — which had been held for nearly a year — was stolen.
The ticket, purchased at a northeast Des Moines convenience store, was originally worth $16.5 million and was turned in Thursday afternoon by lawyers on behalf of a New York trust, just an hour and 50 minutes before it was to expire.
Reports that a winning ticket was stolen are common, said Mary Neubauer, lottery spokeswoman.
“I think every time we've had a jackpot that had gone unclaimed for a longer than usual amount of time, we’ve had reports of the ticket being stolen,” she said. “I think with all the intrigue of this winner, it has taken (the claims) up a notch.”
There has never been a proven case of lottery ticket theft in Iowa, lottery officials said Friday.
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