What does the lottery company say about refusing to pay out the prize for a torn lottery ticket?

Thua Thien Hue Province Lottery One Member Co., Ltd. has just refused to pay a winning lottery ticket because the corner of the ticket was torn.

Mrs. N's torn lottery ticket worth 2 billion VND - Photo: LT

Although the winning lottery ticket worth 2 billion VND was torn at one corner, the winning numbers were still clearly visible. The owner of the lottery ticket invited the police to assess the integrity of the ticket.

Won the jackpot but was not paid because the ticket was torn at one corner.

Previously, on October 14, Ms. NTN (residing in Quang Nam province) bought two lottery tickets from Thua Thien Hue Lottery One Member Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as Thua Thien Hue Lottery Company).

Two lottery tickets with winning numbers are 386552 (F) and 486552 (F), worth 10,000 VND/ticket.

In the lottery drawing held on the same day, lottery ticket 386552 (F) won the special prize of 2 billion VND, lottery ticket 486552 (F) won the special secondary prize worth 50 million VND.

However, due to carelessness while driving in the rain, Ms. N. let the two lottery tickets stick together and got wet. After carefully separating the two lottery tickets and drying them, Ms. N. brought the tickets to the company to receive the prize.

Receiving the two tickets above, Thua Thien Hue Lottery Company said that the lottery ticket that won the special prize of 2 billion VND had a torn corner and part of the winning number was missing, so it refused to pay.

Both parties brought the lottery ticket to the police to have the condition of the lottery ticket assessed in order to have a basis for considering and resolving the complaint.

On November 14, Thua Thien Hue Lottery Company sent a written reply to Ms. N. regarding the refusal to pay the prize for the lottery ticket that won the special prize of 2 billion VND. Accordingly, the company stated that Clause 1, Article 31, Chapter 5, Circular 75/2013 of the Ministry of Finance on detailed instructions on lottery business activities stipulates that the lottery ticket to receive the prize must be intact, original size, not torn, not patched...

The lottery ticket that won the special prize with the number 386552 (F) was shrunk, partially deformed and torn off the lower right corner of the number series, missing the base of the unit digit (the torn part was no longer there), so there was not enough basis to determine the original shape, the location of the tear affected the factors to determine the prize.

For the above reasons, the company decided to refuse to pay Ms. N. the special prize of 2 billion VND.

As for the lottery ticket that won the 50 million VND prize, the company agreed to pay her the prize because "there is still enough basis to determine the original shape".

This response does not mention the police's assessment results.

Lottery company president: company ready to work… in court

After receiving the notification of the above conclusion, Ms. N. expressed disagreement with the response from the lottery company. According to Ms. N., although the special prize winning lottery ticket was torn off a corner, the winning numbers could still be clearly seen with the naked eye, with no signs of editing or re-splicing.

Ms. N. said that the lottery company lacked transparency when it did not include the police's appraisal results in its response.

Responding to Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Tran Viet Nguyen, Chairman of Thua Thien Hue Province Lottery One Member Co., Ltd., affirmed that the refusal to pay the special prize to Ms. N. was in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Mr. Nguyen said that after receiving the information, the company worked with Ms. N. twice and clearly explained to her the reason for refusing to pay the special prize. The company has set up a council to consider whether to pay the prize to Ms. N. or not.

Regarding the police's assessment, Mr. Nguyen said that in the written response to the assessment, the police determined that the separate part of the lottery ticket did indeed match the ticket stub of the issuing company.

Police said that Ms. N's winning lottery ticket was not a fake and the numbers on the ticket were not erased.

However, according to Mr. Nguyen, the appraisal results are for reference only and the payment of prizes must still comply with Circular 75/2013 of the Ministry of Finance.

"I heard that Ms. N. has filed a lawsuit against the company at the People's Court of Hue City to request a reward and we are ready to work in court," said Mr. Nguyen.

According to Mr. Nguyen, this is not the first time the company has had to deal with a prize-winning lottery ticket being torn and the winner requesting a refund like Ms. N. However, this is the first time the lottery ticket winning the special prize was torn like Ms. N.

"We are always receptive and ready to support winners in receiving their prizes. However, everything must comply with the provisions of the law," said Mr. Nguyen.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tu-choi-tra-thuong-ve-so-trung-giai-dac-biet-bi-rach-cong-ty-xo-so-noi-gi-2024112808544787.htm