Man almost loses 50k after throwing away lottery ticket

A Vermillion County man almost lost $50,000 after throwing away his winning lottery ticket.

Ernie Scott III of Clinton, Ind. said he initially thought his Lucky 5 lottery ticket was not a match when he checked the numbers online on February 2.  So, Scott tossed the ticket into the trash.

According to the Hoosier Lottery, Scott’s friend called him and said that Scott’s three numbers he uses for a different lottery game, Daily 3, were chosen. Unfortunately, Scott did not play the Daily 3 that day, but he decided to go online to confirm those were the numbers.

While online, Scott saw the winning numbers for Lucky 5 again. That is when he noticed the numbers he played on the lottery ticket he disposed of matched the numbers he saw: 5-7-14-18-28.  Scott told the Hoosier Lottery he recognized the numbers because they are a combination of his wife and four children’s birthdates

Scott then remembered he threw the winning ticket away in the trash.  With help from the rest of the family, Scott was able to recover the ticket, which was buried under coffee grounds. 

Scott and his wife, Kathy, collected their winnings at the Hoosier Lottery Headquarters on Tuesday.
The Scotts told the Hoosier Lottery they plan to use the winnings to build a garage and take their children to Florida.  Additionally, Scott said he plans to take his friend, who prompted him to check the lottery numbers, to a nice steak dinner.

The Hoosier Lottery urges players to always check their tickets carefully.