Oops! Couple realizes $1,000 prize is actually $1 million

INDIANAPOLIS - Cindy Ooley and her husband, Steve, took a trip to Hoosier Lottery headquarters for what they thought was a $1,000 winning ticket. Instead, they went home with a $1 million Powerball prize.

Hoosier Lottery officials began interviewing Cindy about her win, which is standard procedure for a prize of that amount. Then Steve looked down at the table, where there was a ceremonial big check. Cindy was mid-conversation when Steve realized what the check said. He interrupted.

"That's not $1,000," Steve said.

The check in front of Steve and Cindy had six zeroes, not three. Hoosier Lottery officials explained to Cindy and Steve that they won $1 million.

"This is nuts. This is crazy," Steve said.

A look of shock entered the couple's eyes, then realization. Cindy and Steve immediately called the bank. This wasn't the small transaction the couple originally expected.

"We're not going to have to watch things quite as closely," Cindy said.

Before the excitement of a $1 million prize, Cindy was at home clearing out a desk drawer when she found old Powerball tickets. She checked to see if she had any winners. When she reviewed the Powerball ticket from the Sept. 23, 2017 drawing, she told Steve she had a $1,000 winner and they should drive to Indianapolis to claim it. Neither realized the true prize amount until they saw the ceremonial check.

Cindy purchased the winning ticket at Meijer, 1425 W. Carmel Drive in Carmel, where she typically buys her Powerball tickets. Her ticket matched all five numbers except the Powerball number.

Cindy has been playing Powerball twice a week for years. The Fishers couple says they enjoy dreaming about what they could do if they won a big jackpot.

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"We're not going to have to watch things quite as closely," Cindy said.

uh huh and the same old story begins....

Two people who can’t correctly read a lottery ticket. I say dead broke in 10 months or less.

Jeez. Who crapped in your cereal this morning? Why can't you just wish them well and hope for the best?

I'll bet someone has a wager on this!

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Originally posted by sigspecops:
Two people who can’t correctly read a lottery ticket. I say dead broke in 10 months or less.

I'm with Paten, there's enough shitty news in the world. That'd be a cool surprise!

quote:

Originally posted by sigspecops:
Two people who can’t correctly read a lottery ticket. I say dead broke in 10 months or less.

Maybe they'll buy a sailboat.

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:

quote:

Originally posted by sigspecops:
Two people who can’t correctly read a lottery ticket. I say dead broke in 10 months or less.

Maybe they'll buy a sailboat.

Hopefully some boating and marine navigation lessons too.....

Great story, thanks for sharing.

quote:

Originally posted by sigspecops:
Two people who can’t correctly read a lottery ticket. I say dead broke in 10 months or less.

quote:

Originally posted by lkdr1989:
I'll bet someone has a wager on this!

Well, if sigspecops wins the wager, I hope he takes the cash option instead of the annuity.

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Originally posted by Paten:
Jeez. Who crapped in your cereal this morning? Why can't you just wish them well and hope for the best?

I think he's just playing the odds. And, also, one million dollars just don't go as far as it used to. And if that's their main cash hoard, they're really going to have to husband that baby along in order for it to secure a lifestyle.

A couple of houses, several brand new cars, gifts to relatives, business loans to friends, some fly by night investment scheme and it will soon be gone.

Somebody in SW VA, I heard on the radio this morning, won $177K on a "scratcher" ticket. So it does happen.

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Originally posted by Rey HRH:

I think he's just playing the odds. And, also, one million dollars just don't go as far as it used to. And if that's their main cash hoard, they're really going to have to husband that baby along in order for it to secure a lifestyle.

A couple of houses, several brand new cars, gifts to relatives, business loans to friends, some fly by night investment scheme and it will soon be gone.

Yet they didn't say they were going to do any of those things. I guess as long as it makes you feel good about yourself, it's okay to deride random people who got lucky one day.

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Originally posted by zoom6zoom:

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Originally posted by sigspecops:
Two people who can’t correctly read a lottery ticket. I say dead broke in 10 months or less.

Maybe they'll buy a sailboat.

You're a dick but I can't stop laughing

How much of the $1 million is left after taxes?

Even if they get around $500,000, they could probably live off investments of that money for the rest of their lives while not having to work full time. That is if they stay away from leeches who try to suck their money from them.

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Originally posted by Edmond:
How much of the $1 million is left after taxes?

Even if they get around $500,000, they could probably live off investments of that money for the rest of their lives while not having to work full time. That is if they stay away from leeches who try to suck their money from them.

The odds are NOT stacked in their favor that, that will ever happen.

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Originally posted by Edmond:
How much of the $1 million is left after taxes?

Even if they get around $500,000, they could probably live off investments of that money for the rest of their lives while not having to work full time. That is if they stay away from leeches who try to suck their money from them.

I agree. Might as well look on the positive side. The main thing is to keep their job(s) and invest the money wisely (don't buy a new house, cars, give money away, etc. Plenty of time to do that later if you still want to.)

I know a middle aged couple that came into some money a couple of years ago. An old uncle died and they were told he left them some money. They thought great, maybe it will be as much as $10,000. It turned out to be $600,000. Nobody in the family knew the old boy had that kind of money. They paid off their mortgage (not what I would have advised but they wanted to) bought a new car and truck, and invested the rest. They are still working but are doing very nicely.

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Originally posted by zoom6zoom:

quote:

Originally posted by sigspecops:
Two people who can’t correctly read a lottery ticket. I say dead broke in 10 months or less.

Maybe they'll buy a sailboat.

Geez man.

I wish them the best.

This is a no shitter, in November of 1995, I bought 5 Powerball tickets. I forgot to check them for about 4 days. When I did, I had 5 numbers but not the power ball. Not having the internet, I thought maybe it was about 2 grand. I was in the Navy stationed at Great Lakes, so the ex wife and I jumped in the car and drove to Kenosha where I bought the ticket. There was a new sign on the window that read 100,000 dollar wining ticket sold here. I tbought somebody sure got lucky! I went in and stood in line. When I got to the front, I asked the lady what 5 numbers got ya? Her exact words were "Your Him"
I said "Who"? The next day I was in Milwaukee getting a big check for 65k.

Someone here won big in the last couple of years. I don't remember who, but they referred to it as "life-changing-big" or something similar.

Here, as in SIGforum.

My wife plays all the time. Probably breaks about even. If we win it big one day, hopefully she'll still like me after she is rich. If not, I'll take half a billion dollars and move on, I guess