A Tesco supermarket employee is at the center of a legal dispute over lottery winnings, after she accidentally issued a ticket to a customer and then claimed it as her own.
Andrea O'Reilly from Navan in County Meath reportedly issued a customer with a €9 ticket; he later requested a less expensive ticket and was given a €4 one.
O’Reilly claims that she reissued the cheaper ticket to the customer before taping the €9 ticket to the side of her cash register. It later emerged that this ticket had a combination of winning numbers, making it worth €500,000 ($714,000).
The 26-year-old Tesco worker maintains that she had planned to pay for the ticket, but she was prevented by her employer. She now plans to sue her employer of six-and-a-half years.
In normal circumstances, a cashier can void the lottery ticket by scanning the bar code, however in Ireland the process is more complicated with lottery agents often having to call National Lottery Headquarters to fix mistakes.
Speaking through her solicitor Michael Shanley, O'Reilly said: "It's common practice that an employee has the option of purchasing a ticket that was issued to a customer."
"All I have to say at this stage is that I had the ticket and I now no longer have it," she told the Irish Independent.
A spokesman for Tesco confirmed the company have received legal notification from O’Reilly’s solicitor but wouldn’t comment further.
10 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Irishphotograph | Apr 09, 2011, 11:09 AM EDT
She never signed the back of the ticket! She is a greedy selfish liar!...she had no intention of buying that ticket! none whatsoever!
Starlet | Apr 09, 2011, 02:04 AM EDT
I can understand the taping, so it won't get confused with the regular tickets, perhaps. Was the ticket in limbo? If it wasn't yet paid for but on layby is it still hers? Here in my state, they don't allow purchase of tickets by credit card. It has to be cash. I am wondering if it is the same in Ireland. I.e. future payments after the date of drawing may not be okay. Are there details we don't know about not mentioned here?
morewalsh | Apr 08, 2011, 07:17 PM EDT
so hold up she didt buy the ticket. but the question is did she have money to pay for it, did she tell her section manager, team leader or duty manager that she was going to buy it, how come tesco only found out that she wanted to buy the ticket after this, i think that tesco should just let her try her hardest to sue them, and after tesco should just give the money to the charity. any wonder tesco wouldt comment further there prob laughing to hard.
dublinguy | Apr 08, 2011, 06:59 PM EDT
I wish i was next in line after that customer for a 9 euro lotto ticket, and i bet she would have sold it to me too.
eibhleann7 | Apr 08, 2011, 03:05 PM EDT
Coulda, shoulda, woulda....
Irishphotograph | Apr 08, 2011, 12:56 PM EDT
She won nothing! and so she should get nothing! If the ticket was a loser would she have paid the 9e for it anyway? Not at all! not hers and never was
jdi2269 | Apr 08, 2011, 12:53 PM EDT
SOUNDS LIKE AN OBAMA APPOINTEE!
margo8549 | Apr 08, 2011, 12:24 PM EDT
She won, give her the money
Derrylass627 | Apr 08, 2011, 11:11 AM EDT
I agree with Trealach. If she really considered the ticket her own, why would she tape it to the side of her cash register? Yeah, I don't think so. . .
Trealach | Apr 08, 2011, 09:43 AM EDT
If she didn't actually pay for the ticket, then I don't see how she has a legitimate claim. "Intent" has no basis in civil law in Ireland.