For a lot of people in this country, winning the lottery is their only hopes for a better life. Despite all statistics showing a ridiculously low chance of winning, people who can’t afford to play will still buy a ticket every week like clockwork.
When that train finally comes it, which it almost never does, most winners breathe a sigh of relief as they see debt, mortgages, and car payments all wash away. That’s what Susan Rick, a lottery winner from Illinois, felt until the state announced they wouldn’t dole out any winnings.
“We won. We finally can have a comfortable life. Suddenly you’re gonna pull the rug out from under us. We had a ticket for $250,000,” Rick told reporters.
She and countless other winners who have been denied their winnings have sought the help of attorney Tom Zimmerman. They are attempting to force the state to pay out more than $288 million in unpaid lottery prizes.
The state claims that they cannot afford to pay lottery winnings greater than $600 per ticket. Illinois places the blame on a “budget crisis,” yet advertisements for multi-million dollar lotto prizes are broadcast every day.
“If any private business would engage in this kind of conduct selling tickets and not paying out the winner, the state would shut them down and indict them for fraud,” Zimmerman said.