AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Winning the lottery is everyone's dream, but for one Amarillo couple, it was a nightmare. Kathy Clark sent in her Dallas Cowboys scratch-off ticket for a chance to win in a second chance drawing.
To her surprise and delight, she received a letter from the Texas Lottery Commission saying that she had in fact won the second chance prize. It was a draft day party with Jerry Jones and 2011 season tickets to the cowboys games valued at $66,667.
But just days later, she got another letter saying that the lottery people had made a clerical error she had not won season tickets. And that the draft party was valued at $50,000 and that $16,667 amounted to withheld taxes.
All this after the Clark's had promised members of their family tickets to different games. Randy Clark, Kathy's husband has this to say, "How can you go to a Cowboys function and not be a part of a Cowboy game? It's crazy, I don't know, we went form living a dream, and it just turned into a nightmare for us."
We talked with officials at the Texas Lottery Commission. They told us neither they nor the Cowboys have any intention of compensating the Clark's. Irving resident Delvin Delamar, who got the same letter with season tickets will also not be compensated for the mistake.
Story by the Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A clerical error is blamed for two Texas Lottery game winners not getting 2011 season tickets to the Dallas Cowboys.
Delvin Delamar of Irving and Kathy Clark of Amarillo were identified as winners of a lottery scratch-off game with a Dallas Cowboys theme.
Commission officials say a staff error led to Delamar and Clark wrongly being advised that they would each get two season tickets to the Cowboys.
Lottery spokesman Bobby Heith said Tuesday that both winners were contacted when the error was discovered.
Delamar and Clark, as part of their lottery game winnings, will be allowed to have seats in the NFL team's "war room" during draft day selections, be invited to a draft-day party, plus get free lodging and transportation to the events.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
