Illinois Lottery (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
CHICAGO (CBS) — Eighty-five Illinois Lottery winners last week probably thought they were lucky — until they tried to cash in their winnings, that is.
Their checks, totaling $159,000 in lottery winnings, were no good.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Steve Miller reports
Two days after Christmas, Maureen Furio of Lake Zurich bought an instant scratch-off ticket and won $1000. The next day, she got a check from the lottery.
“I deposited it the same day and went ahead and paid some extra Christmas bills,” Furio says. “And Jan. 3, it bounced.”
“Not bounced … returned,” says Mike Lang, spokesman for the Illinois Lottery. He says lottery officials failed to key in the required security verification on the checks issued on Dec. 28.
“We apologize for the inconvenience that these players have incurred,” Lang says.
Lang says Furio and the 84 other winners who tried to get their winnings but couldn’t can re-submit the checks. He says the state lottery will reimburse them for any bank fees.
83 Comments
Multiple Choice: which family does the idiot in charge of who messed this up belong to: A) Daley, B) Madigan, C) Cullerton, D) Burke?
January 5, 2012 at 6:40 pm
all of thee above lol
January 5, 2012 at 7:08 pm
Do you see something common in those 4 names,they are all irishmen,that has to tell you something,besides the irish say obama is irish to,
January 5, 2012 at 7:19 pm
your an A$$
January 6, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Hey Michael, You must be as much of an idiot as the Talk Show Host with the same name! There are no Irish people that think Obama is Irish. Do you have the same last name as that Host? Wiener, cause you sound like a Wiener!
January 10, 2012 at 3:14 pm
I don’t think any of these people have anything to do with the lottery, nimrod
January 5, 2012 at 9:46 pm
Don’t “BET” on it!!!
January 6, 2012 at 3:05 pm
first in the nation,where was the money spent on pensions?
January 6, 2012 at 3:10 pm
All of the above
January 6, 2012 at 4:56 pm
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Are you kidding me? This certainly isn’t the first time. I’m still trying to get reimbursed for a returned check on Dec. 15th plus bank fees. Even though I have called numerous times and have faxed them all the information they wanted, I have not received anything. Everytime I call they tell me “your check was sent in the mail today”. So, good luck to those 85 people…..your gonna need it.
January 6, 2012 at 2:50 am
This makes me giggle. I remember how serious people used to play Lotto when I worked at White Hen back in college. Now those people are going to be too afraid to play anymore, I’m sure. Why not just play dice on your front steps?
January 6, 2012 at 10:05 am
Ironically, dice on the steps would be illegal.
January 6, 2012 at 5:26 pm
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Which goes to show how Illinois is full of nothing but crooks.. Where is all the money they get from the lottery? The trillions in escrow? More shady s*** to add to the rest of the garbage they pull.Their excuse is HOG WASH! Watch out or they’ll tax us on that!
January 6, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Where is all the money they get from the lottery?
They’ve spent it already, just like the Fed. government with social security. The state was counting on no winners. They were wrong. Just like homeowners who bought houses without money, income, or credit. They were counting on housing prices continuing to go up. They were wrong.
January 6, 2012 at 3:00 pm
It’s going to Osama Bin Bidens election chest.
January 6, 2012 at 4:49 pm
Let’s all try that for a State Income Tax payments and see what happens
January 6, 2012 at 1:53 pm
And the recovery roars on, LOL! Way to go, Felonois– time to get Benny on the blower for another mountain of counterfeit c-notes hot off the Fed presses.
January 6, 2012 at 2:44 pm
sue the liberal government
January 6, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Is it any wonder that when i was 19 I left Illinois and never looked back. If we didn’t have some relatives still there, we would NEVER go back. It sucked in 1956 when I left and it sucks even more now.
January 6, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Ah…a person from the the Daley Sr era!…me too! And you really believed in the lottery? I am with you…Illinois sucks now! Can’t pay any of it’s bills! How anti-American! I won’t be going back to Illinois again soon either! John Sr, did a lot of good through heavy handed measures in Chicago,\..but agree with your sentiment, Jim! There is very little accountability once anyone is elected to s seat outside of that arena. The further a politician is removed from facing his constituents the less responsibility he has…what a sorry state of affairs we now face…politicians without conscience and accountability…
January 6, 2012 at 9:19 pm
The lottery is a scam and always has been. You will be very angry once you learn the facts.
Go to http://911essentials.com and watch CAFR School: School Districts And The Lottery, in the ‘Your Wealth’ section.
January 6, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Face up to it! Illinois is a criminal enterprise masquerading as a State.
January 6, 2012 at 2:58 pm
Should be able to charge them penalties and interest, turnabout is only fair.
January 6, 2012 at 2:59 pm
Why does anyone still live in Chicago or the state of Illinois? Seriously.
Vote with your pocketbook and your feet. Protect your family and get out.
January 6, 2012 at 3:05 pm
I left that CORRUPT state in 1981 and never looked back, either. I have lived since in a state with NO state income tax, better roads, beter climate, ec. etc. etc. That state is Florida, and there are other states just like us.
January 6, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Florida baby~ yeah baby~
the best state in all 57 states (o-bama sez that we have 57 states)
boo-ya~!
if you could read- you can read this and weap~
Florida is the best, better than all the rest, you’ll find it cannot be beat, we got freshly paved streets;
you’ll never find a place like Flo-rid-aaaa~!!!!!
January 6, 2012 at 3:53 pm
@non-florida:
If you can read, it’s spelled ‘weep.’
January 6, 2012 at 4:05 pm
LOL, .Dave
January 6, 2012 at 5:56 pm
What do you expect….a blue city in a blue state. They are all broke, all over the country
January 6, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Play the numbers on the street and you will get paid. The mob understand you get hurt if you don’t pay your bets
January 6, 2012 at 3:11 pm
You live in that filthy, sleazy, nasty place, it’s on you. Keep voting for liberals, you stupid idiots. You’ll keep getting the nastiest city in the nation. Losers.
January 6, 2012 at 3:11 pm
Hey! When you are dumb enough to live in a Thugocracy like Chicago you gotta expect things like that!
January 6, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Too bad they probably won’t cover any returned check charges the winners have incurred.
January 6, 2012 at 3:25 pm
They say that they will pay for returned check fees. Stay tuned and see if they do.
January 7, 2012 at 1:23 am
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, guess we needed to bail out some bank in Germany, France, or the UK. hahahahahahahahahahahahaha…
January 6, 2012 at 3:27 pm
Don’t ever expect government to live up to its promises, commitments, or contracts.
January 6, 2012 at 3:34 pm
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Att least they got a check to cash. I was sent to the State Comptroller’s office because eff. 10/15/11, the State lottery will send your winnings to the agency if you owe child support, delinquent student loans, taxes, public aid overpayment, etc. My SSN was flagged for Illinois Student Scholarship Commission student loans that were consolidated in 2010 w/the U.S. Dept of Education. When I called the lottery to tell them I didn’t owe the money, I was told to contact ISSC. When I did and they said my balance was zero, Illinois Lottery told me they send the money downstate who sends it to ISSC. When ISSC gets the money, they will refund the money to me. 2 agencies, 4-6 weeks each. So…if MY SSN was flagged erroneously, how many others are? Who at the Illinois Lottery verified the information or asked for reverification before flagging SSNs? I won my money the beginning of Dec. $1000. I cashed it in a week later, the week before Christmas and got a nice letter telling me they took my money while I was in the Niles lottery office. I wish the news would research that and put them on blast for that because I am still waiting for MY winnings! Oh, did I mention? Illinois Lottery don’t handle their own complaints. You are directed to an agency that handles complaints & It’s been 3 weeks since I filed, haven’t seen my check yet but received emails telling me it was sent to the dept looking into it & they will be getting back to me. Can the news investigate that?
January 6, 2012 at 3:42 pm
Don’t worry…they’ll do a great job with your health care.
January 6, 2012 at 4:02 pm
They will pay you. hopefully before the second coming of Jesus.
January 7, 2012 at 1:28 am
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Most people don’t know that the day after Obama was elected the pick three lottery numbers were 666.
January 6, 2012 at 3:53 pm
ha- I believe it~
you know why no one can locate O-bama’s birth certificate????
because he was born or a jackyl~!!!
these peeps checks bounced cuz it was Bush’s fault~!!!
January 6, 2012 at 4:15 pm
That’s the Mark of the Beast that announces the Antichrist. If Obama’s the Antichrist then this is the Apocalypse. The Bible says that in that case one must drop everything one’s doing and run to announce it everyone everywhere and that way one is part of the chosen few (144 000) and goes to heaven.
January 6, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Is that a joke or is that real?
January 7, 2012 at 1:30 am
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Look at the half backed corrupt governor that slipped in! One of OZERO’s cronies!
January 6, 2012 at 3:56 pm
Are black people running the lottery now? Checks bouncing – just sayin!
January 6, 2012 at 3:56 pm
What does that matter? It would still happen if green people where running the lottery. maybe the ones running the lottery where Red. Just saying!
January 7, 2012 at 1:35 am
Serves the people of Chicago right. BANKRUPT is what you get when you keep electing liberal leftist Democrats to run your city.
January 6, 2012 at 4:00 pm
If we keep spending money federally…..this will happen too all of our checks in the bank.
January 6, 2012 at 4:14 pm
I don’t feel sorry for any of them. Aren’t folks taught the mere basics about personal banking any more? You NEVER consider the money in a deposited check as actually being in your account until it has cleared! The money simply isn’t yours until it has cleared. All deposits are subject to approval, except something like a certified check. Personal Finance 101 pure & simple. Not being one to normally stand up for the crooks that come out of IL, including first and foremost Obammie the Commie, it was obviously a mistake. Learn the basics and you won’t have these problems.
January 6, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Maybe a good rule of thumb, but most new account holders believe what the bank tells them. That’s where they get “the basics”. The bank tells you they’ll give you advance credit on deposits/transfers. They don’t tell you that the only reason they do so is they know a certain number of checks will be returned, and they can then charge absurd and bogus fees.
January 6, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Lets give credit to the ones running the lottery! They deserve all the credit!
January 7, 2012 at 1:39 am
Only a fool or a death wish individual or an idiot would live in Chicago today. Chicago is copying the monster Obama.
January 6, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Someone Hurry and check Rahm’s balance in his checkbook…LOLOL
Leave it to Chicago… :)
January 6, 2012 at 5:01 pm
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The lottery is a tax on people who don’t understand statistics.
January 6, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Government Numbers in action. Place your bets with the mob, theirs is the only honest game in town.
January 6, 2012 at 6:23 pm
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writing a cheque that wont cash is a federal offence.
call the fbi.
January 6, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Wow! All this from the state that launched Barack Obama into the Illinois State Senate then into infamy as the President of the country. This, along with your new law requiring ID to buy drain cleaner and one has to say your state really sucks.
January 6, 2012 at 10:43 pm
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I’m shocked…..SHOCKED, I tell ya! Oh, wait…it’s Illinois. Nevermind.
January 7, 2012 at 8:01 am
But at least you’re all safe now that the government makes you show a photo ID to buy Drano. Be thankful for that.
January 7, 2012 at 10:13 am
My question – why do any of you still live in Illinois? You can be packed up and moved to Indiana in less than a day of effort. Is the weather better in Illinois? Pack up your factories and your jobs and say good bye to the crime and unions in the Land of Lincoln. I was just wondering…..
January 7, 2012 at 11:20 am
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At least Ron Paul spoke the truth about Washington blacks. Let them run free, next thing you know they’ll take over the white house.
January 10, 2012 at 8:52 am
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RON PAUL IS BEST FOR ALL!!!
RON PAUL IS BEST FOR ALL!!!
RON PAUL IS BEST FOR ALL!!!
RON PAUL IS BEST FOR ALL!!!
January 6, 2012 at 3:52 pm
Ron Paul is a kook, who never will and never should be President.
January 6, 2012 at 5:25 pm
The lotto is a tax on stupidity. You can’t lose if you don’t play.
January 6, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Paul would be the same age (77) STARTING a Presidency that Reagan was FINISHING his Presidency.
Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years after leaving office.
The odds of someone getting Alzheimers or another form of dementia at Paul’s age are just too high. Half of all people get Alzheimers by age 85.
It doesn’t matter how fit or smart Paul is now, the disease hits the fit and unfit equally often.
If you have a good VP to back him up, then run that person for Pres instead.
Sorry, Paul is just too old for most voters.
January 6, 2012 at 6:03 pm