Recently, the case of T.K.M., a 40-year-old resident of Duyen Hai District, Tra Vinh Province, has sparked widespread discussion.

M. purchased 10 lottery tickets and gifted eight of them to relatives, keeping two for himself. When the results were announced, he discovered that his tickets had hit the jackpot. However, the two tickets he kept were torn and damaged beyond recognition, making him ineligible to claim the prize.

His relatives, who received the other eight tickets, were able to collect their winnings and, out of gratitude, gifted him 800 million VND (approximately $32,000).

A stroke of luck turned into despair

M. recounted that he often buys lottery tickets. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, he purchased 10 tickets from Hau Giang Lottery Company, all with the winning number 916303.

Lacking cash for traditional lucky money (li xi), he gave eight tickets to his siblings and cousins and kept the remaining two in his pocket while going crab fishing.

"I went to catch crabs to prepare food for a gathering with my family and completely forgot about the two tickets in my pocket," he said.

Later that evening, one of his relatives who had received a ticket checked the results and discovered that they had won the jackpot. They rushed to inform M., who had just returned from his fishing trip.

"When we told him the winning numbers, he gasped, 'Oh no, I left them in my pocket!' He pulled them out, but they were completely soaked and torn to pieces," recalled a nephew of M.

Hoping for a solution, M. sought help from multiple lottery agents and local authorities, who advised him to submit a formal request to the Hau Giang Lottery Company. However, the company declined to honor the prize, citing that the tickets were no longer intact and had lost their security stamp.

Devastated, M. fell into a deep state of distress. Unable to claim his winnings, he struggled emotionally and drank heavily to cope with the loss. Eventually, he regained his composure, reminding himself that if he had kept all 10 tickets in his pocket, none of his family members would have won either.

"My relatives are all from modest backgrounds, so when they found out I couldn’t claim my prize, they each shared some of their winnings with me. I plan to use a few hundred million VND to buy land for a home. I’ll still continue working as a construction laborer and will soon head to Phu Quoc for work," he shared.

Lost fortunes: Other tragic lottery stories

M.’s story is not the only case of bad luck turning a lottery win into despair. Over the years, several similar cases have occurred in the Mekong Delta, sometimes even leading to prolonged legal battles.

One such case was that of N.V.H. from Cho Gao District, Tien Giang Province, who won 100 million VND ($4,000) in March 2010 but was unable to claim the prize because his ticket was missing a corner.

H. had purchased a ticket from Kien Giang Lottery Company and, after discovering his win, reached into his shirt pocket where he had kept the ticket. However, due to sweat, the paper had weakened, and part of the ticket had torn off.

When he arrived at the lottery company headquarters, staff confirmed that his numbers matched, but they refused to pay out the prize, stating that the ticket was incomplete. Despite filing multiple appeals, the company upheld its decision. To this day, H. still keeps the damaged ticket as a memento of his lost fortune.

Another unfortunate case involved T., a construction worker from Dong Thap Province, in 2013. While working, he saw a young child selling lottery tickets and bought one out of sympathy. Later, he forgot about the ticket and washed his clothes, soaking the paper.

The next day, the same child who sold him the ticket excitedly informed him that he had won 30 million VND ($1,200). Frantically searching, T. found the wet and crumpled ticket in his pocket. He carefully dried and ironed it, hoping to restore it.

When he presented it to the lottery company, they rejected his claim because the security stamp had become blurred, making verification impossible.

In yet another case, V., a farmer from Bac Lieu Province, lost his 125 million VND ($5,000) jackpot in 2009 after his wife unknowingly washed his ticket along with his shirt.

Upon realizing his mistake, he rushed to check the laundry but found the ticket badly wrinkled and torn. Though the winning numbers were still visible, the company refused to honor the prize. V. filed an appeal, and authorities conducted a forensic examination of the ticket, confirming that it was genuine and untampered. However, despite this verification, the company still refused to issue the prize money.

These cases serve as a cautionary lesson for lottery players. Many people in Vietnam, especially in the Mekong Delta, rely on lottery winnings to change their lives. However, strict regulations require that tickets be fully intact, with clear security markings and no signs of damage.

For those who play, properly storing their tickets can mean the difference between a life-changing fortune and a devastating loss.

Hoai Thanh