Woman Says Dog Ate Winning Powerball Ticket

Friday, October 06, 2006 posted 11:30 AM EDT

DES MOINES, Iowa -- With the largest Powerball jackpot ever won in Iowa, there were several ticket-holders who had wishful thinking.

The Iowa Lottery said Wednesday that since the winning numbers were drawn it has been flooded with callers trying to explain why they were winners but could not produce their winning ticket.

"We had already validated the ticket. I was still receiving phone calls saying, 'Are you sure that is their ticket. Are you sure that's the winning ticket?'" said the Iowa Lottery's Tina Potthoff.

Iowa Lottery CEO Ed Stanek said a Minnesota woman who was traveling through Iowa said she left her ticket on her car's dashboard while she was in the store and her dog ate her ticket.

"The longer it takes for the winner to come forward, the more people are going to wonder, 'Was that me?'" Potthoff said.

Stanek said another person told the lottery that he left his winning ticket in the truck he was driving for work, but he could no longer get to the ticket because he no longer worked for the company.

Another man who contacted the lottery didn't remember much about his ticket.

"He left his ticket in his hotel room, but couldn't remember what city he was in, the name of the hotel nor the store, nor the date (of when he bought it)," Stanek said.

Another man called the lottery, claiming that he burned the winning ticket with some other trash when he cleaned out a car.

"He couldn't remember the details of the purchase or the day that it took place because he'd had a head injury nine years earlier and it affected his memory," Stanek said.

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