The internet is rejoicing over the seemingly karmic arrest of a Canadian woman who purchased a lottery ticket worth $50,000 with a stolen credit card. But one question remains, what happens to the winnings?
The 33-year-old was arrested by waiting police when she tried to claim her $50,000 prize for her ‘Super Crossword’ scratch card at the Atlantic Lottery center in St. John’s, on Newfoundland Island.
The woman was caught out after a man contacted police last Wednesday to say his wallet had been stolen. He later learned his credit cards were used to make several purchases in the town of Paradise, including a winning lottery ticket, reports Canada’s CBC News.
Upon hearing of the poetic justice, speculation turned to exactly who could claim ownership over the lucrative lottery prize. Reddit guesses varied from the lottery company, the actual owner of the card, the card company, the store that sold the ticket, or the authorities (as it’s technically the proceeds of crime).
One thing for sure is that the perpetrator will definitely not be awarded the funds, and unfortunately it appears the credit card theft victim will also not reap the reward. In fact, Atlantic Lottery told CBC their policy means they can only pay prizes for “lawfully acquired tickets.”
This means that the $50k will more than likely go right into the corporation’s ‘unclaimed prize fund’, which in turn is added to future jackpots. The woman at the center of the ticket fiasco is now facing two counts of possessing a stolen credit card and five counts of fraud.