A lotto winner from the Philippines has lost out on a ₱12,391,600 (USD$ 276,277) because his daughter tried to help smooth his claim by ironing out the wrinkles in the ticket, burning it in the process.
Antonio Failon Mendoza from Calaca town in Batangas Province won the substantial prize in the lotto drawing held on Thursday, October 2, 2014, but by the time he tried to present his ticket it was nothing more than a half-burned piece of paper pressed between the pages of a thick bible.
Despite his best efforts to preserve the remains of his ticket, Mendoza did not have a prayer when it came to claiming the prize because according to lottery rules it's a case of no ticket, no prize and the Mendoza's ticket was too defaced to be readable.
Presenting the charred remains of his ticket to legislators at the House Committee on Games and Amusement, on Tuesday, Mendoza said: "I just want to say that I am one of the millions of bettors of lotto who use their hard-earned money with hopes of winning. But now that I have won, I cannot claim my money, I hope you can help me."
The committee contacted lottery organizers, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), to see if there was a way the unfortunate player might be able to still claim his prize, but the PCSO said there is not and pointed out their tickets bear a warning stating they must be kept away from heat, hot objects, oil, water and solvents.
