ORLANDO, Fla. – Carlena Hayes has been playing the same Pick 4 numbers in the Pennsylvania Lottery since she was 18.
She says her mother gave her the numbers and she has been playing them ever since.
Well, a few months ago, luck hit not once, but twice when she played the numbers on two Pick 4 tickets, scoring a cool $11,000.
The thing is, Ms. Hayes was told the check would be mailed in four to six weeks, but the cash prize never showed up.
“No letter, no email, nothing,” she said, " It just doesn’t seem like it’s real.”
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She called the local TV news stations in Philadelphia but “no one responded.”
She searched the internet and found News 6 reporting of similar Florida lottery issues, so she called Make Ends Meet.
“If it wasn’t for you all, I probably would be waiting three more months,” a joyful Hayes said.
It turns out, a change in the lottery computer system triggered the payout delay.
When we contacted the lottery office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, we were told the lottery check had been issued and they called Hayes to assure her as well.
Then, the good news: A check for more than $8,000 (after taxes) arrived at her Philadelphia suburb home a few days ago.
“I was like, ‘It’s here, it’s finally happening, I can pay some bills,’” she said. “You got results, the best!”
Hayes said she found “a couple of successful stories” with News 6 and that started the Make Ends Meet connection.
“And I said, ‘Let me give it a shot, even though I don’t live in Florida,’ and you reached out to me in 24 hours.”
If you have a consumer, lottery, or investment issue, email makeeendsmeet@wkmg.com or text the words “make ends meet” along with your issue and contact information to 407-676-7428.
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