Malaysian loses appeal over lottery win after losing ticket, photo not accepted
In short
A Malaysian businessman who lost a winning lottery ticket has lost his appeal at the Shah Alam High Court for a prize of 185,671 ringgit (about 60.2 million won). He had offered a phone photo of the ticket and a police report, but the operator, Pan Malaysian Pools, required the physical ticket. His lawyer said he would decide with the client whether to appeal further.
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The Shah Alam High Court in Selangor, Malaysia, has dismissed an appeal by businessman M. Mahendravarman (M. 마헨드라바르만) in his claim against lottery operator Pan Malaysian Pools for a winning prize he could not collect because he lost the ticket. Dong-A Ilbo, Electronic Times, Korea Economic Daily and Asia Economy, all citing Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported on the 20th, local time, that the claim is for 185,671 ringgit, about 60.2 million won. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
According to the reports, Mahendravarman bought a ticket for 30 ringgit (about 9,700 won) on 14 May 2022. Three outlets say the outlet was in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur. The ticket carried the numbers 1515 and 1010. It won, but he could not find the ticket. He had photographed it on his phone after buying it, reported the loss to police on 16 May, and asked the operator to pay on the basis of the photo. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The operator refused, saying it could not pay without the physical ticket. At trial it relied on an internal rule requiring the winning ticket to be presented, which it said is needed to prevent fraud and double payment. Electronic Times described its position as being that a photo or a report alone could not meet the payment requirements. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Mahendravarman's side argued at trial that a witness for the operator had acknowledged that the serial number on the photo matched the one in the police report. It also stressed that no one else had presented the physical ticket to claim the prize. The documents do not report the operator's response to these points beyond its rule on physical tickets. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Last December the first-instance court found that Mahendravarman had not sufficiently proved his right to the prize and ruled for the operator. It ordered him to pay 10,000 ringgit (about 3.2 million won) in costs. Asia Economy identifies that court as the Shah Alam District Court and says the ruling came in early December. The appeal also failed, and he must now pay a further 3,000 ringgit (about 970,000 won) in costs. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
His lawyer said he would decide with the client whether to take the case further. Dong-A Ilbo and Electronic Times described this as a possible further appeal or a request to a higher court. Asia Economy says the lawyer will decide on an appeal to the Federal Court and reports that the case has lasted more than three years. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The documents present the case as a dispute over whether a photo and a police report can replace a lost winning ticket, with the operator citing rules against fraud and double payment. Beyond the parties, the documents give no wider consequences.
Key facts
- The Shah Alam High Court in Selangor dismissed businessman M. Mahendravarman's (M. 마헨드라바르만) appeal in his claim against lottery operator Pan Malaysian Pools, as reported by Free Malaysia Today (FMT) on the 20th, local time. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The prize he claimed is 185,671 ringgit, about 60.2 million won. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- He bought the ticket for 30 ringgit (about 9,700 won), with the numbers 1515 and 1010, on 14 May 2022 at an outlet in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He reported the ticket lost to police on 16 May and asked the operator to pay on the basis of a photo of the ticket. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The operator refused to pay without the physical ticket, citing a rule meant to prevent fraud and double payment. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The first-instance court ruled last December that he had not sufficiently proved his right to the prize and ordered him to pay 10,000 ringgit (about 3.2 million won) in costs. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- After losing the appeal, he must pay a further 3,000 ringgit (about 970,000 won) in costs. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Shah Alam High Court dismissed the appeal over the 185,671 ringgit prize. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The operator refused payment because he could not present the physical ticket, and cited a rule against fraud and double payment. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The lower court ruled against him last December and ordered 10,000 ringgit in costs; the appeal added 3,000 ringgit. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- His side argued that the serial number on the photographed ticket matched the one in the police report, and that no one else had come forward with the physical ticket to claim the prize. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- His lawyer said he would decide on a further appeal after consulting the client. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether a witness for the operator admitted that the serial numbers matched. This is stated as the claim of Mahendravarman's side; no document gives the operator's response to it.
- Whether he will appeal further. His lawyer said a decision would be made after consulting the client; no decision is reported.
- The reasoning of the appeal court. The documents say the appeal was dismissed, and one says the appeal bench upheld the first-instance finding, but none gives the appeal court's own reasons.