Win the lottery, go to jail

Usually, winning a million dollars is an unambiguously good thing. But for ex-con, a winning scratcher might be a ticket back to jail. From the Boston Globe:

His odds of winning $1 million on a scratch ticket were 1 in 1,247,400.

His odds of being busted if he won? A pretty safe bet.

Timothy Elliott - the lucky buyer of a $1 million scratch ticket in the $800 Million Spectacular game - is a two-time bank robber whose lottery ticket purchase last week violated the terms of his probation. Last year, when he pleaded guilty to unarmed robbery, the 55-year-old Hyannis man was ordered “to not gamble, purchase lottery tickets, or visit establishments where gaming is conducted, including restaurants where Keno may be played,” according to his probation from Barnstable Superior Court.

So two days after a trip to the winner’s circle in the lottery’s Braintree headquarters, where he claimed the first $50,000 of his payout - about $35,000 after taxes - Elliott earned himself another court date. A hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 7 in Barnstable Superior Court to determine the penalties for violating his probation - and, perhaps, what happens to the winnings.

“This has not happened before, as far as we know,” said Dan Rosenfeld, the lottery’s communications director. “It’s new territory.”

Bank robber may see lottery win scratched - The Boston Globe

Since this a violation of his probation, Elliott could go back to jail, just for the crime of winning. That’s pretty harsh, but if not playing the lottery was a specific condition of his probation, it might be fair.

So blackjack skill players, stop complaining: you’re not the only folks being hassled for winning–at least not anymore.