UPDATE | SCEL refunding ticket holders after holiday lottery glitch

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -- After a vote from The South Carolina Education Lottery Board of Commissioners, ticketholders who purchased the Holiday Cash Add-A-Play, on December 25, 2017, will be reimbursed the purchase price paid but not collect any winnings.

The decision to reimburse ticketholders the purchase price stems from South Carolina Code "that prizes arising from a ticket produced or issued in error must not be paid".

SCEL said that approximately 71,000 plays/wagers were erroneously produced by their former gaming vendor, issued and printed causing players to believe they had a winning ticket.

In order to receive your refund of the purchase price of the tickets, players should mail their original (no copies or other reproductions will be processed for reimbursement) tickets along with your name and return address to the address provided below no later than January 7, 2019.

S.C. Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

SCEL will refund the purchase price for each returned ticket and reimburse the player for postage up to the amount of first class USPS postage for the ticket(s) submitted to SCEL.

Since these reimbursements will require manual processing, we ask that players mail in all tickets to avoid wait time at the Claim Center.

Friday, Dec. 29. 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -- The South Carolina Board of Commissioners has planned to set aside 19.6 million dollars to put towards the potential amount of money that was represented by the Holiday Cash Add-A-Play game.

This money will also assist in the investigation, legal research and further cooperation from Intralot and the claims that were made.

The Board will meet again before the end of January to continue looking into this situation.

The Lottery stated that players should hold on to their tickets.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A Christmas Day lottery glitch in South Carolina has left officials trying to determine how to deal with hundreds of unexpected winners.

The Holiday Cash Add-A-Play game generates trees on a tic-tac-toe grid paying up to $500 when someone gets three in a line.

Lottery officials say that for two hours Monday, trees were being printed in all nine grids, giving all players who paid $1 the maximum $500 prize. Some players kept playing.

But when players went to cash their tickets, the computer wouldn't pay. Dozens of people came to the lottery's office in Columbia on Wednesday and were told to keep their tickets for a later announcement.

The lottery hasn't said how many winning tickets were bought.

The South Carolina Education Lottery Commission is holding an emergency meeting Friday.