A man named John Cheeks has filed a lawsuit against the DC Lottery after being informed that what he believed to be a $340 million Powerball win was actually a mistake. Cheeks had purchased two rows of numbers for the Powerball on January 6, 2023, and upon checking the DC Lottery's website two days later, he noticed that one of the winning numbers matched those he had selected. However, he was later informed at the ticket payoff center that his ticket would not be honored due to an error on the lottery's website.
Cheeks has taken legal action in an attempt to claim the jackpot sum, filing his initial lawsuit just days after being denied the prize. A project manager at Taoti Enterprises, a digital agency that works with the DC Lottery, stated that incorrect numbers were accidentally published on the lottery's live website during testing on January 6. The mistake was rectified after staff noticed it on January 9.
In response to Cheeks' lawsuit, Taoti Enterprises labeled his claims as "fraudulent" and stated that he had purchased the alleged winning ticket using erroneous numbers posted on the website before the actual drawing took place. Cheeks is seeking a payment of $320.6 million, the amended grand prize amount provided by the DC Lottery, along with interest.
The lawsuit lists the Multi-State Lottery Association, Powerball, Taoti Enterprises, and the DC Office of Lottery and Gaming as defendants. Cheeks' attorney, Richard Evans, has raised concerns about the integrity and accountability of lottery operations and the lack of safeguards against errors such as the one allegedly made in this case. Taoti Enterprises has maintained that they are not the correct party to be sued as they do not operate the lottery.