On the evening of January 13, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga (name changed) in Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province - the plaintiff in the lawsuit "dispute over lottery prize payment" - said that on the same morning, Huong Thuy Town People's Court worked with her to take her testimony about the entire process of buying the ticket, the circumstances that made the ticket wet as well as how to dry it.
Ms. Nga said that at the meeting, she told the court that she mainly lived by farming, and also cooked for parties to earn extra income.
On October 13, 2024, at a restaurant near her house, Ms. Nga bought 2 lottery tickets 386552 (F) and 486552 (F) issued by Hue Lottery State Company Limited (Hue Lottery Company - defendant), opened on October 14, 2024.
She put these two tickets in her pocket and put them in her pocket. When she went to work in the fields, it rained and got wet. On October 14, 2024, Ms. Nga checked the numbers and discovered that ticket 386552 (F) won the special prize of 2 billion VND, and the other ticket won the special consolation prize of 50 million VND.
Mrs. Nga opened the lottery ticket and discovered that it was wet and covered with money. The corner at the end of the special prize winning ticket was soft and missing, and could not be reassembled. She put the two lottery tickets on a stainless steel plate and heated them over a charcoal stove. After heating, the special prize winning ticket shrank, while the other ticket lost its corner at the end but still kept its original shape.
The next day, Ms. Nga and her son directly worked with the Hue Lottery Company to report their winnings. The company asked Ms. Nga to pay 12 million VND to have the two lottery tickets appraised at the Hue City Police.
On November 14, 2024, Ms. Nga was awarded a special consolation prize of 50 million VND by Hue Lottery Company and received a notice that the prize of the winning lottery ticket worth 2 billion VND was not accepted. The company also did not return the appraisal results of the 2 lottery tickets to Ms. Nga.
According to Ms. Nga, after she submitted a request to the People's Court of Huong Thuy town to support the collection of lawsuit documents, Hue Lottery Company provided the results of the lottery ticket appraisal and supported her in returning 12 million VND in appraisal fees.
The police's appraisal results determined that the lottery tickets that Ms. Nga bought were all valid and matched the ticket stubs issued by the Hue Lottery Company. The lottery ticket that won the special prize was not a fake ticket, and the numbers on the lottery ticket were not erased... Ms. Nga agreed with this appraisal conclusion.
Do not accept partial payment agreement
According to Ms. Nga, the court informed her that this week, the Hue Lottery Company will be summoned to work and take statements. After that, the mediation procedure will be carried out according to regulations. She is waiting for the next move from the court.
“Previously, when I brought the torn winning ticket to the Hue Lottery Company, hoping to receive a portion of the prize, because of my negligence that caused the torn ticket. The company stated its position, either paying the full value of the ticket or not paying the prize, but did not agree to pay a portion.
Personally, after filing the lawsuit, I no longer accept the option of paying a portion of the prize value as before. I filed the lawsuit to find a satisfactory answer for the ticket that was refused to be paid," said Ms. Nga.
Ms. Nga has submitted the original copy of the torn winning ticket worth 2 billion VND to the People's Court of Huong Thuy Town, Hue. The court has also announced that it will accept the case from January 2.
