Lottery Checks Bounce for 85 Illinois Residents

Eighty-five Illinois lottery winners discovered they were not as lucky as they thought.

Their checks, worth $159,000 combined, did not clear the bank.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois lottery offered the winners a formal apology after their bank failed to authorize payment to several scratch-off winners.

Lottery spokesman, Mike Lang blamed the snafu on a computer oversight due to short-staffing during the holidays.

Lottery officials are working to make good on the checks and offered to cover any bank fees incurred from the incident. The lottery is sending the affected customers a free scratch off ticket as part of the apology, according to the Tribune.

- Source:  www.nbcchicago.com