No returns! Gifted lottery scratchie causes family rift after jackpot win
<p dir="ltr">A typical stocking stuffer has resulted in chaos after one man’s wife insisted they were entitled to the winnings from a scratchie they gifted.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The man posted to Reddit community ‘Am I The A**hole’ seeking advice, as the $5 scratchie he gifted a cousin as part of their family’s stocking stuffer exchange resulted in the 23-year-old winning the jackpot of US$50,000.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The man felt “elated” at his cousin’s win, telling the community, "I scooped him up in a big bear hug and said Merry Christmas you lucky a--hole. He was screaming and his mum was actually in tears and the whole room was excited. It was literally one of the top ten experiences of my life."</p>
<p dir="ltr">The excitement was short-lived, however, as his wife quickly texted him asking him to come out to the car. Once there, "She told me there is no way that we are giving my cousin [$70k], then starts fussing at me about buying the lotto tickets to begin with.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">He then explained that he and his wife are financially comfortable and didn’t need any more money, although it would be “nice to have”, while the amount would be “life-changing” for his cousin. "His mum is single and was one of those fiercely independent women who refused charity. She took on extra jobs to help him pay for [university]. He worked at least two jobs himself while going to school full-time and still managed [the] Dean's list," he wrote.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"But he still had to take out loans. He landed a job, but he can't afford a car yet or to live close to the office, so he's looking at nearly a two-hour commute. He's also saving for an engagement ring for his sweet girlfriend of three years. This money would literally change this kid's life and frankly I think it couldn't have gone to a better member of my family."</p>
<p dir="ltr">The man tried to explain to his wife that they didn’t gift the money to his cousin, just the $5 scratchie, but she refused to let it go. "She is now demanding I go back in there and take the ticket back from him, saying maybe we'll give him some of it. We argue a little bit, I can't get her to explain why she wants this money so bad other than, 'It's ours and you're not giving it away.'” They fought the whole drive home and haven’t spoken much since.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Reddit users were quick to side with the man, with many shocked at his wife’s behaviour. One user wrote, "You don't take gifts back when you realise they are worth more than you thought,” while another said the ticket “legally” and “morally” belonged to the cousin, and that there were "witnesses who saw you give the ticket to him as a gift and saw him scratch it and subsequently win."</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Image: BanksPhotos</em></p>
