big claim
I was on hold for hours trying to get my $5k lottery winnings after state wrongly tried to keep its hands on it
She demanded the state to release the prize
A LOTTERY winner fumed after she was kept on hold for hours as she tried to claim her prize.
Brittany Wilson, of Florida, said she was initially blocked from taking home the $5,000 prize she had scooped on the game of chance.
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She has documented the battle she experienced with staffers at the Florida Department of Commerce in May 2023, per local ABC affiliate WFTS-TV.
Wilson was initially overjoyed at her lottery win and described her shock after winning.
But the joy subsided when she tried to claim her winnings and was given a piece of paper instead of her check.
State officials claimed her prize was being held because she had been overpaid in unemployment.
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“I’m waiting like almost two hours, at the max, three, just to speak with someone,” she blasted.
She claimed she never received any email or warning from the state.
Her prize was being withheld at a time when food prices and rent were on the rise.
“Let me have this money,” she demanded.
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Her saga was finally resolved after several weeks.
Thousands of residents had fallen foul when they received benefits they weren’t supposed to, according to Florida Commerce.
'I went outside & cried,' says lotto player who won $1m after getting puzzling message on app - win came on perfect day
The U.S. Sun has approached the Florida Department of Commerce for comment.
Sheila Mango's lotto winnings were also temporarily withheld by the state.
She was about to claim her $10,000 prize but was told that a warning had been flagged on her account, as reported by the CW affiliate WJXT.
“It’s extremely unfair. That went from like, the best day in a long time to the absolute worst in a long time,” she said.
But it turned out that the debt she reportedly owed was an error.
Lotto winner Maxine Tunstall was also told a debt was outstanding on her account when she didn’t owe a dime.
Top lottery winners in the US
Millions dream of winning the lottery and finding fame and fortune. These are the biggest winners in US lottery history.
- Edwin Castro - $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022, in California.
- Theodorus Struyck - $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, in California.
- Unknown winner - $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, in Florida.
- Marvin and Mae Acosta from Los Angeles, California, John and Lisa Robinson from Munford, Tennessee, and Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt from Melbourne Beach, Florida - $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016.
- Unknown winner - $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, from South Carolina.
- Unknown winner - he sued the mother of his child to keep his identity hidden - $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, from Maine.
- Unknown winner - $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, from Illinois.
- Unknown winner - $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024, from Oregon.
- Yanira Alvarez - $1.08 billion Powerball, July 19, 2023 in California.
- Wolverine FLL Lottery Club - $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, from Michigan.
- Unknown winner - $842.4 million Powerball, Jan. 1, 2024, from Michigan.
She was initially blocked from taking home the $10,000 lottery prize she had won.
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Tunstall said she was kept on the phone for hours trying to resolve her case.
She was eventually able to take home her prize after the case was resolved.