Illegal-immigrant-allowed-to-collect-winning-750000-lottery-ticket

What in the world is going on here? First someone wins lotto and is still collecting food stamps evidently removed from it after a news report. Now we have an illegal immigrant being allowed to keep the $750,000 winnings. If they do that they should send this person back home, or confinscate the money and use it towards any state or city projects. What are we becoming? It's called an election year, anything for the all mighty vote.
What do you think should be done about the injustice of this?

[url=http://atlanta.cbslocal.com...]



A Houston County Superior Court jury ruled in 27-year-old Tony Cua-Toc’s favor Thursday that he was the rightful owner of the Jingle Jumbo Bucks lottery ticket, according to the Macon Telegraph.

reply to post by 1loserel2


I don't agree that he should be collecting benefits.. However.. I don't see how their immigrant status has to do with their lottery ticket. Sure, maybe they should be deported but are you really proposing that the government confiscate fairly won money just because of their nationality?

reply to post by Miraj


No, nationality doesn't matter if they're in this country legally. I'm not a bigot. Right is right I thought these games were only open to U.S. Citizens.

I agree with how infuriating it is to see such a jackpot within our American system of state lottery go to someone whose very presence constitutes a Federal Crime.

Having said that.. Well... I've never seen a rule in the Lottery material saying one must be a citizen to collect. Without that, saying no would have just brought a mega-lawsuit where they would likely win and get more than the original prize anyway.

Perhaps that rule needs added? Until then.. Well.... Illegals can cash out of our system as easily as any legal American or immigrant resident.

Originally posted by Miraj
reply to post by 1loserel2

 

I don't agree that he should be collecting benefits.. However.. I don't see how their immigrant status has to do with their lottery ticket. Sure, maybe they should be deported but are you really proposing that the government confiscate fairly won money just because of their nationality?

I was under the impression that any lottery had residency requirements in order to be eligible to play and claim if they win.

On the idiotic flip side, A Judge has ruled an illegal alien who is her schools valedictorian is to be deported immediately.

I think that person will be more than happy to go back home with all of that money They leave their families to make money here, the money they make mostly gets sent home to support said families. This guy lucked out big time.

reply to post by Xcathdra


I know it's going to vary from state to state. However I've looked at an old lottery ticket I have here, from the Oregon lottery and there is no mention that you need to be a US Citizen to collect.

Perhaps there are citizen requirements in some states, and none in others.

I just called my state lottery main office and they said that you DO NOT have to be a US citizen to win.

Just thought I would add that to the conversation.

So illegals can play state lotteries?

Yes or No?

reply to post by 1loserel2


What does nationality have to do with anything? He bought a ticket just like everyone else, The lottery has to do with odds not nationality. You see if you are from a poor country and come to the US you probably play the lotto in hopes to win big, so all the people out there who do this pay into the system just like all the rest of us. The lottery commission will not implement a rule like this because it would mean a significant loss in revenue.

Eh, the lottery is an idiot tax anyway.

So somebody won the lottery, last time I checked, you don't have to be a citizen to win the lottery. Hell I'm Canadian and can legally buy and claim lotteries in states..I think it's the POWERBALL or something like that...

~Tenth

reply to post by BiggerPicture

Yes.

What happens after that is on immigration or the IRS to figure out. The lotto folks are not immigration enforcers, but they do have to pay out when someone wins.

Glad somebody who needed it won it. Now he can start making his life into something we all should be entitled to, no matter where we're born and who we're born to.

No doubt this guy went to America for a better life, now hes won the lottery he can get his family out of there and start building a future in his home land - maybe even creating work if he starts up a company. $750,000 is a lot of money, the guy could do good back in his home land, plus the money goes further over there.

Congrats immigrant guy

Guy I work with his wife won $200K when she was 3 months shy of 18. Word got out even tough her mother with the same name tried to collect the lottery refused to pay. She ended up suing the store for selling het the ticket to get her money because she shouldn't have been able to buy it

I've heard of Europeans on vacation winning the lotto while on vacationing in the US.

Its a form of gambling, do casinos not allow non-citizens into them?

I see no problem with this, he obviously paid into the system by buying the ticket, so he played and won, complaining about it just reeks of Envy.

Hell if this upsets you don't play the lotto, as a poster said its an idiot tax to begin with.

I wonder if the people upset about this would be as upset if it was a Canadian that won.

Illegal immigrant buys lottery Ticket :nobody gives a frazzle

Illegal immigrant wins lottery... people are miffed?

WTF is wrong with you people?

reply to post by 1loserel2


Well in my state, anyone can turn in and get the prize. If you are from out of the country, the only difference is 5% more in taxes.

As for being here illegally and collecting bennies, that is a different animal.

He has a winning ticket. Thus he has a valid contract with the lottery which they must obey. His legal status is unrelated to the contract unless it was clearly stated otherwise in the terms and conditions of the ticket sale, which it isn't.

A huge number of illegal immigrants play the various Lotteries every week. The Loterries are happy to take this money and could refuse it by making the game exclusive to legal US residents, and lose over 100 million bucks a week?

AFAIK, one or two State Lotteries have refused payouts to illegals. I read of one incident where an illegal who had a winning ticket and was afraid he might not get paid, asked an American friend to cash it in. The Lottery in question used cctv tapes from the purchase outlet to ascertain who really bought the ticket and the American went to prison for fraud.Beat that!

IMO, if the Lottery takes a man's money for a winning ticket, they should honor it. Hell, if a dog somehow purchased a winning ticket he should get payed even if he's from Mexico

Ok so he's allowed to collect the winnings, but he still has no right to be here and should be deported.

Playing devil's advocate:
Would this be considered revenue (lottery winnings) while committing a crime (illegal alien), and if so, can it be considered ill-gotten by virtue of him not belonging here in the first place?

Just a crazy thought from a legal stand point.