Danvers man wins $4 million on scratch ticket bought at his own store

[Say_What]

Lucky guy :-) Good luck to both of them!!

<clips>

SALEM — Chester and Lisa Hincman bought their small variety store on Pickering Wharf about four years ago. With fresh paint, new counters and elbow grease, they turned it into a tidy little store and ice cream shop popular with locals.

But the regulars at Chip's Variety Store had only one question for Chester Hincman Jr. this week, a few days after he won $4 million on a scratch ticket that he purchased at his store.

"They want to know what I'm doing here," Hincman said from behind his counter yesterday. "I keep telling them I'm not going to change. I'm going to be here day after day."

A steady stream of Hincman's customers congratulated the 30-year-old store owner as they came in to buy hot dogs, sodas and other items yesterday.

"He told me about it yesterday, but I didn't believe him," said George Jeeter of Salem, "especially when I saw the store open."

http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/05/snstory.pl?-sec-Pageone%20+slottery0623


Chester "Chip" Hincman stands in front of his variety store with his wife Lisa where he won $4 million dollars on a scratch ticket. Photo by Kira Horvath/Salem News

[gizmo1979]

1. Isn't that against the rules?

You can't win with a ticket from your own store!Employees and owners are not eligible.Says so right on the back of the ticket.

[Cronus Protagonist]

2. I think that applies to people who work for the lottery

The store owner doesn't, and therefore is eligible.

http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13
Buttons for brainy people - educate your local freepers today!

[gizmo1979]

3. What's to keep said owner from

scratching all the tickets and saying he was robbed?

[Cronus Protagonist]

4. The tickets from the robbery would be invalid

Serial numbers and all that. Unlike our ballots, they keep good track of lottery tickets.

http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13
Buttons for brainy people - educate your local freepers today!

[-..__...]

5. Example...

$4 million lottery scratch ticket stolen from store

Selling a $4 million scratch ticket at the Hilltop Package Store in Wareham could have brought instant fortune to a lucky customer and a cool $40,000 commission to the store's owner, Paul Hurley.

But the Hold'Em Poker lottery ticket was among hundreds stolen two weeks ago from the Hilltop and other stores in town.

Wareham police have arrested a teenager who allegedly gave the unscratched winning ticket to a friend, who tried to cash it at another store, Hurley said.

''It's like getting robbed twice," he said yesterday.

When Hurley reported the robbery to police, he said, he jokingly told them, '' 'Yeah, watch, it will be a winning ticket they'll steal.' The next day the detective called me and asked if I was sitting down."

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