Judge Throws Out $3.3 Million Lotto Claim From 1997

A Sydney man has had his claim for a $3.3 million Lotto prize thrown out of court. The man tried for 23 years to claim the unpaid $3.3 million but his legal fight is now over.

David Owen Renshaw claimed to purchase a winning Lotto ticket in 1997. Renshaw attempted to claim the life-changing sum, but ran into difficulty with the store clerk. He launched a lawsuit against the New South Wales Lotteries eight years later. Much legal wrangling followed and Renshaw found himself in front of a Supreme Court judge.

Justice Des Fagen threw out Renshaw’s Lotto claim, calling it an “irresponsible pursuit of a hopeless claim.”

Unpaid Lotto Saga Begins

This quite remarkable story began back in September 1997 when Renshaw bought a ticket for the Oz draw. Renshaw purchased the ticket from Greenfield Park and presented it at Granville Railway Station newsagents following the draw.

The words “provisional winner” popped up on the screen when the store clerk scanned Renshaw’s Lotto ticket. The attendant, who Renshaw claimed didn’t speak English very well, threw the ticket into the bin. He then said “no winner” before refusing to return the ticket to Renshaw. Renshaw claims the store clerk then locked himself in the office and refused to come out.

This was the last interaction Renshaw had with the store clerk and the ticket until 2016.

Renshaw discussed the lotto ticket that never was with a friend some 19-years later. The pair learned that particular lotto jackpot hadn’t been claimed, which reignited Renshaw’s belief he held the winning ticket. All he needed to do was prove he owned the winning ticket.

Quest For Lotto Jackpot Begins

More than 50 people had tried to claim the $3.3 million lotto prize over the years. Renshaw was adamant the prize was his despite this. Judges asked why it had taken 19 years for Renshaw to resume his claims for the prize. Renshaw said memory loss caused by an accident at work was to blame.

Most people would hire a hotshot lawyer to represent them with $3.3 million at stake. Not Renshaw. He represented himself.

The Lotto’s organisers said they had highly confidential data proving Renshaw wasn’t the lottery winner. They even offered him a cash payout if he covered the Lotto court costs. He refused and pressed ahead to see the so-called confidential data.

Confidential Data Pours Cold Water on Claim

Lottery’s around the world know exactly when and where each ticket is bought. Their systems are computerised and it timestamps every single transaction.

The court saw the confidential data which proved it impossible for Renshaw to be the Lotto winner. Renshaw said he was 100% certain at when and where he purchased the rogue ticket. Data showed a completely different time and location, thus proving Renshaw a liar.

Renshaw could now be on the hook for some massive legal bills. Justice Des Fagen was angry in his summing up of the case.

“The plaintiff’s narrative taken as a whole is fantastic. It is unbelievable. It was an irresponsible pursuit of a hopeless claim. Not only have proceedings been prosecuted by the plaintiff without any reasonable evidentiary basis, they have been conducted by him wastefully and inefficiently.”

“He has lacked the incentive to exercise caution or to heed legal advice as a self-represented litigant who incurred to costs to himself. This case has put the defendants to great expense and squandered significant time and capacity of court.”

Luckiest Lottery Winner Ever?

Renshaw is likely to be jealous of Stefan Mandel, the luckiest lottery winner in history. The Aussie-based Romanian won the lottery 14 times, mostly in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Mandel devised his own special system for winning the lottery using an algorithm. His story is quite incredible and definitely worth a read here on pokies-internetpokies.org