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compulsory lottery winnings

all lottery winnings should be claimed
 
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a prerequisite of the purchase of a lottery ticket should be the production of a valid proof of identity and thus ensuring that all winnings are claimed.

it goes without saying that anonymity should still be strictly observed.

this idea has nothing to do with instructing the lottery winner what to do with the dosh; they can give it to the local cats’ home or drop it in the sea weighted down by œ ton of cement if that is their wish.

every time an announcement is made that for example, œ million pounds has not been claimed and that the owner of the winning ticket purchased it in a certain area; everyone within a 10 mile radius begins to panic and turns their houses upside down, accusations are hurled towards spouses of carelessness which inevitably leads down the path to divorce or worse, or mighty great rows at the drycleaners etc.

the poorly paid administrative workers at said lottery will have to begin the laborious completion of reams of paperwork to ensure unclaimed monies are lawfully redirected – the stress must be enormous. it is so unfair, when one phone call from the rightful winner would have ended all this grief.

take responsibility for your winnings for goodness sake, is it much to ask?

po, Feb 05 2004

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       If the stress was really so enormous, I don't think the governing bodies would persist in it. But I hear it is a fairly lucrative venture for the old gov. Every time I get a paycheck it looks like they won the lottery...
k_sra, Feb 05 2004
  

       thanks tsuka, must be a uk thing!
po, Feb 05 2004
  

       I see a contradiction between "production of a valid proof of identity" and "anonymity should still be strictly observed". Perhaps if the purchaser merely offered a contact number/address? In general, there would be no reason for for the ticket sellers to use that info UNLESS someone won. But major penalties should exist, anyway, for misusing it, such as selling it to spammers.
Vernon, Feb 05 2004
  

       Do you realize your username sounds like the pronunciation of "in any case" in French?
k_sra, Feb 05 2004
  

       re: vernon's contradiction, I do not see a problem with this, I do it all the time when carrying out police checks; the anonymity is regarding the publicising details of the winnings.
po, Feb 05 2004
  

       [po] could you do a police check on UnaBubba?
grippit, Feb 06 2004
  

       why would I want to do that?   

       I would prefer to do an UnaBubba check on the police.
po, Feb 06 2004
  

       huh?
grippit, Feb 06 2004
  

       ?
po, Feb 06 2004
  

       what?
k_sra, Feb 09 2004
  

       Lottery is tax for the stupid. Why would you want to cut into our lucrative profits. Next you will be suggesting that the bettings is entirely distributed as prize money with out our 5% takings.   

       Shares in Camelot, don't mind if I do.
PainOCommonSense, Feb 09 2004
  
      
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