Business & Tech

Friends Who Threw Away $1 Million NJ Lotto Ticket Suing for Prize Money

NY duo who bought the ticket at a Mahwah 7 Eleven say they threw the winning ticket out because the state was too slow to post the winning numbers on its website.

Two friends who say they bought a $1 million lotto ticket at a Mahwah 7-Eleven but then threw out the ticket are suing the state Lottery Commission saying they still deserve the money, nj.com reported.

According to the report, Salvatore Cambria and Erik Onyango, both of Suffern, N.Y., claim they threw their winning ticket out because the state took too long to update its website with the winning numbers.

In their lawsuit, the two claim they threw out the winning ticket after the numbers were called on March 23, believing they had lost, the report said. When they were told their ticket - which matched five of the six numbers drawn - was a winner, they were told that they couldn't claim the winnings without the paper ticket, the report said.

Reps of the NJ Lottery Commission declined to comment to nj.com. The Multi-State Lottery Association and Governor Christie are also named as defendants in the suit, the report said.

The Mahwah store that sold the ticket celebrated the sale last year. Earlier this year, the lotto announced that the million dollars had still not been claimed, and that the one year time limit to claim the winnings had almost run out.


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