Washington DC Powerball player sues for $320million windfall claiming he was unfairly denied prize money despite having numbers shown on website because they didn’t match what was drawn on TV

A Washington, D.C. man has sued Powerball for $340 million after claiming he was wrongly denied prize money despite having the winning numbers displayed on the website.

John Cheeks bought a Powerball ticket on January 6, 2023 and chose his numbers based on his family members’ birthdays.

He missed the live drawing the next day, but discovered on January 8 that his numbers matched what he found on the DC lottery website and saw the whopping $320 million in prize money.

“I got a little excited, but I didn’t scream, I didn’t scream. I just politely called a friend. I took a photo as he recommended, and that was it. I went to sleep,” Cheeks said News4.

He soon realized that the numbers on the website and ticket did not match the numbers drawn on TV, even though his numbers were shown online for three days, the lawsuit alleged.

According to the filing, the lottery contractor, Taoti Enterprises, made an “error” and posted the wrong winning numbers on the website.

Cheeks said he checked his numbers on the DC Lottery website on Jan. 8 (pictured) when he discovered his numbers matched the $320 million prize.

Cheeks’ lawsuit has asked Powerball to pay him the winnings from the ticket he thought he had, plus another $72,000 per day in interest payments “due for non-payment.”

The amount is approximately $340 million.

Cheeks said he didn’t rush to claim his prize because he was busy with work. He is working to create a home trust bank that would provide loans to individuals who don’t qualify for traditional mortgages.

“The crisis of the housing situation here in the District, Virginia and Maryland,” he said.

‘Tent cities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Tent cities at Union Station.”

According to the legal documents, Cheeks discovered his fortune was under threat after he went to an authorized lottery retailer and was denied his prize.

He then went to the DC Office of Lottery and Gaming’s prize center, where he received another denial and a request from a claims officer.

Cheeks said the officer told him his ticket wasn’t valid and that he should “just throw it in the trash.”

‘And I looked at him sternly. I said, “In the trash?” Then he remembered the officer confirming that he should throw the ticket away and saying, “You’re not getting paid.”

Cheeks said he chose his figures based on family members’ birthdays. The physical ticket he bought on January 6 is seen along with a denial when he checked his numbers

He soon realized that the numbers on the website and ticket did not match the numbers drawn on TV, even though his numbers were shown online for three days.

Cheeks was told to throw the ticket away, but instead he kept it and called in his lawyer, Richard Evans (pictured)

Against the officer’s orders, Cheeks kept the ticket and stored it in a safe before asking an attorney for help.

“They said one of their contractors made a mistake. I haven’t seen the evidence to support that yet,” Cheek’s attorney, Richard Evans, told News4.

“Even if a mistake has been made, the question becomes, ‘What do you do about it?’” he said, before adding that a similar case had occurred in Iowa and the contractor paid out the profits to the plaintiff.

DailyMail.com reached out to Powerball and Taoti Enterprises but did not hear back.

Taoti Enterprises previously responded to News4’s request for comment and said a response would be forthcoming. The other organizations told the outlet they cannot comment on pending litigation.

The jackpot that Cheeks thought was his eventually grew to $754.6 million and a ticket holder won the prize on February 6.

According to American newsthe odds of winning the Powerball are about one in 292.2 million, and the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are about one in 302.6 million.