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Celebrity Justice
Wiseguy Wants Lotto Whacked Over Scratch Snafu

Posted Jun 17th 2008 1:05PM by TMZ Staff

The New York lottery might want to think about witness protection.

Vinny Vella - the guy who played Jimmy Petrille on "The Sopranos" -- wants to rub out the New York lotto for -- he claims -- shorting him out of a $5 million scratch-ticket payday. He says he had the right numbers on an "Extravaganza" lottery ticket -- two sevens -- but it turns out that the number was a 17.

Launch photoThe New York lottery tells us the vendor that prints the tickets had a "minor ink and printing problem" that affected about 5,000 tickets. They also say Vella's SOL -- they've got barcodes and other security precautions on the ticket that prove he's a loser.


Tags: New York Lottery, NewYorkLottery, NY Lotto, NyLotto, The Sopranos, TheSopranos, Vinny Vella, VinnyVella, Wise Guy, WiseGuy

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16. Well if the top number is a 7 and seven is written underneath it then its a 7..if the bottom number says 7 and seven is written underneath it...well...there is no disputing it...that is the sole purpose of the "writing" of the number, so this crap doesn't happen! If that is what it says then pay the man! I would be ticked if I was him!

Posted at 12:31PM on Jun 17th 2008 by elle

17. YOU PEOPLE ARE REALLY STUPID AND NEED TO WATCH MORE SOPORNOS EDISODES. I BET THERES A 80% CHANCE THAT MR PAVORATTI TRIED TO SCRATCH OFF THE 1 SO IT LOOKS LIKE 77 AND HE IS TOO STUPID TO REALIZE THAT IN TODAYS ADVANCED SOCIETY THAT BAR CODES AND CORRUPT POLITICIANS DETERMINE WHO GETS TO BE THE WINNERS

Posted at 12:36PM on Jun 17th 2008 by questor

18. It's clear that the words spelling out the numbers both say "SEVEN". So that means the lotto screwed up with their barcoding. That's not his fault. His ticket is a winner. They need to pay.

Posted at 1:15PM on Jun 17th 2008 by give him his money!

19. If NY tickets are the same as Boston lottery tickets, then #10 is correct. Each ticket has a bar code that lists the numbers. This guy should just quit whining and get another acting job.

Posted at 1:31PM on Jun 17th 2008 by Robin

20. It says "SEVTN" right under it, which is obviously short for 17. He did not win.

Posted at 2:17PM on Jun 17th 2008 by Sox Fan

21. The 't' in svntn is clearly written underneath

Posted at 2:05PM on Jun 17th 2008 by rachel

22. if he thinks he won with that lame excuse, then he actually won more $$, look at winning #8 and the 8 at the bottom its actually a 28 but the 2 is very faint, same as wng #5, and 25 at the bottom for $50 the 2 again is faint.

Posted at 10:30PM on Jun 17th 2008 by hesaloser

23. It's printed UNDER the number as well, SEVTN.....seventeen. Good try....NOT!!

Posted at 2:10PM on Jun 17th 2008 by lcd1023

24. WHAT A JOKE. Big dummy should read the number SEVTN below the 17, and SEVEN below the 7.

And the 46% of you (at the time of this post) who voted that he should be given the $5mil are as stupid as he is.

Posted at 2:10PM on Jun 17th 2008 by brazen weep

25. Its's pretty simple. the numbers on the top are the ones he needed to match somewhere on the card so he coudl win some sort of prize. The number up top , in the "their numbers pool" has the number in quiestion. However looking at it closer it doses say "17" and not "7. And written under the number is "Svtn" which means it was a seventeen
The number that he rubbed of in the field of his number was clearly a "7" and the word underneath it to show that, So there is no was a match at all. All the other posters are correct about the security features in the barcodes, The ticket also has your prize written out in invididual letters located through out the card. It is clearly not a winner, not even a debatable one.

Posted at 2:14PM on Jun 17th 2008 by WARDMAN3

26. Those of you who want this to be paid are almost as stupid as people who actually buy those things.

It says 17. The code underneath says "SEVTN", which is 17.

Tomorrow, everyone will have forgotten the latest "travesty of justice", and this guy will be nothing but a big fat loser with a big fat losing lottery ticket in his fat losing hand.

Posted at 2:15PM on Jun 17th 2008 by Chris B

27. GROW UP ! YA BIG BABY ! IT CLEARLY SHOWS THE WRITING BELOW THE NUMBER IS NOT A SEVEN.

Posted at 3:03PM on Jun 17th 2008 by Grow up

28. If it was a seventeen, it would have bee written under the number, in this case it clearly says "Seven". Give the man the money!

Posted at 3:11PM on Jun 17th 2008 by Tofi

29. It is obvious that this is a '17' for the following reasons:
1) When looking at the ticket, it does appear that a partially printed '1' appears before the '7'
2) The word 'SEVTH' representing seventeen appears below the '7' and the partially printed '1', compare it to the 'FORTH' that appears on the ticket for '14'
3) The '7' is not centered above the word 'SEVTH', compare it to the '18' and the '7' below. This would indicate that a number appears before the '7'.

Sorry Vinny, no money for you. I think you know in your heart that you didn't win, some dreams die hard.

Posted at 3:38PM on Jun 17th 2008 by Mark

30. #27 you need to get new glasses, because it does not clearly say seven it clearly says sevtn which is seventeen, and although it's it's not clear you can make out a one next to the seven, all states I've played lottery in have scanners that let you know if you've won, and this man clearly did not.

Posted at 3:23PM on Jun 17th 2008 by Kbaby

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