Angry Airline Passenger eats his WINNING Lottery Ticket ? I'd have taken it...

United States
March 1, 2010 2:11pm CST
Came across this weird but true story on the AOL Travel News section. A Male passenger on RyanAir won over $13,000 US dollars with a winning lottery ticket that was sponsered by the airline. He demanded immediate payment and when the airline stewards told him that he'd need to send the ticket in to receive his winnings, he was so angry that he ate his own WINNNING Lottery Ticket!!! He actually expected that the airline attendants would have that much cash on board the plane to pay him! Not sure if he was drunk or not but in any case, this one amazed me! Talk about being impatient!! I'd have happily waited til I got home to send it in and get my reward! Wonder if it gave him indigestion when he finally calms down enough to realize what he had done. The HAPPY note is that since the ticket will now go unclaimed the money will go to Charity! This is one of the craziest stories I've read lately about how impatient folks can be!! How about you? Would you have waited to get your winnings or eaten the ticket??
3 people like this
13 responses
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
2 Mar 10
What a ding dong..lol..I would have waited for sure. Now he won't get a thing. That is a crazy story.
• United States
2 Mar 10
I can't imagine what the odds are of winning such a nice amount of money, espcially from a free airline promotion ticket are. Don't think he'll ever have such a lucky day again! I can only imagine how shocked everyone around him must have been when he ate it! Bet they left him alone for the rest of the flight! Take care!
@Dumpertaker (1187)
2 Mar 10
I really could not believe my ears when I heard about this on the TV news, the guy was a complete idiot...ok so it is a tad disappointing the winnings could not be given to you on the plane, but wait til you got off the plane and then get your winnings! That is as daft as winning the lottery and because you don't get your money right away demanding a refund on your ticket!
• United States
2 Mar 10
I would have been quite stunned to have won and likely only would have told whomever I was traveling with. If I was alone, I wouldn't have said anything in case someone would want to try and take the ticket from me. Guess he didn't want to wait by his mailbox for the check to arrive in a few weeks! I wouldn't have minded that much since it would give me time to plan out what to do with the money. It would have been a very very different story if they did give him his winnings right away, there might have been a riot on the plane! Take care!
@kgwat70 (13388)
• United States
1 Mar 10
I did not hear about this but it is quite shocking. I never would think of anyone ever doing something like that. I would have taken that ticket. Wish that he would have given to me or given it to someone that could have used the money. Yes, he was definitely impatient and should know that they do not carry cash like that on flights. Something definitely wrong there. Glad that the money will go to charity. I definitely would have waited to get my winnings.
• United States
2 Mar 10
Me too!! Maybe he didn't really believe it was a winning ticket for some reason..who knows. I would have sat in my airline seat, enjoyed the rest of the flight planning how to use the money. Some to my church, some to charity, pay the bills, save some and still have some left to splurge with! Doubt he'll ever forget that day! Take care!
2 Mar 10
My mum told me about this news story. I think he was stupid to think that he would get the money there and then anyway. If it was me I'd also have happily waited.
• United States
2 Mar 10
Me too! But I am overall a patient person! Tho I think I'd have been eager as heck to check the mailbox every day waiting on the check to arrive! I'd have given some to charity but in his case, they got it all! Be well!
@madteaparty (2748)
• Japan
2 Mar 10
Wow, that reminds me when I had to work in a customer service type job. Some customers are completely unreasonable people who don't understand the logic of things, so they will do crazy things that the passenger you talked about. That makes me wonder what is inside their heads to act that way
• United States
2 Mar 10
That's exactly why I could never work in Customer Service! I've witnessed some very bad behavior while waiting in lines for service at the airport, but never really on a plane! I wonder what makes some people so unreasonable sometimes, but then again I might not want to know. I can just imagine how difficult the rest of the flight was for the attendants! Take care!
• United States
1 Mar 10
That's what you call greedy... But I'm not to judge anyone. That story is crazy! :S Who would eat a winning lottery ticket?! It's like eating the $13,000 USD he got from luck! I would agree with your solution, and waited patiently till I got home.
• United States
2 Mar 10
LOL...it is definitely a crazy story and doesn't surprise me that they didn't list his name since he likely doesn't want anyone to know what he did. Well, at least the money will do some good by going to a charity that will take care of others. Be well!
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
13 Mar 10
Stupid people do stupid actions. If he stopped and reflected on his decisions his actions would be very different and he would have ended with a $13,000 US dollars richer. If I was instead of him I would not have had any other choice would not I? I would have waited and sent the winning ticket to the company as the air hostesses advice. I am sure that he is now eating his nails right now. What a stupid thing to do.
• Philippines
14 Mar 10
His being impatient gives him a bad luck because he losts the winnings he should recieved with that lottery ticket. But in some ways, he does a good thing, unconsciously, was able to help some people in need. As for me, I will really wait to get my winnings especially if I already intend that money for some things that needed to be paid.
@timhinyy (1653)
• United States
1 Mar 10
I can say this with absolute certainty i would not have eaten the ticket. How silly is that you can be a little frustrated that you have to wait, but why would you be mad enough to eat your winning ticket? This really could never apply to me since i think i flew on a plane once since i was the age of three and that was for my sister's and aunt wedding so you won't see me on a plane anytime soon. I think the most i was lucky enough to win on anything was 600.00 at a casino in Atlantic City so if i was lucky enough to win 13,000.00 i would be more then happy to send it in to get my money. The odds of being the one person to win out of all the tickets that would be quite a long shot i would think and to just get mad and eat you chance of getting anything is pretty silly and i would think that the person must feel pretty awful now. I hope that they give it to a worthy charity and it goes to good use in these times that we are in there are a lot of good causes for which that money could go to good use.
• United States
2 Mar 10
Very true that a charity could likely put it to very good use. Maybe he was drunk or didn't believe it was actually a winning ticket. Just plain crazyness in my eyes! I would have done a happy dance to win that kind of money! And made sure that I had copies of the ticket and could verify that I did indeed send it in for my check! Take care and Be well !!
1 person likes this
@iridium (431)
1 Mar 10
flying on Ryanair is enough to do that to a person. This is the company that wanted to charge people to use the toilets. they are notorious even amongst cheap airlines.
• United States
2 Mar 10
Ah.... well that's some insight! I had never heard of this airline before I read the news article. Yikes...charging to use the toilet, I thought that went out in the 70's! Maybe he thought he'd never get the money anyway... Take care!
• United States
1 Mar 10
What an idiot! Too many people in this world that want "instant gratification"!!! And yes, I would have waited. I definitely would not have eaten it! That guy gets the STUPID award for the week!
• United States
2 Mar 10
LOL!! For me it might even be the stupid award of the year! There are so many people just scraping by these days but guess he wasn't one of them! They didn't include his name so maybe he feels like a fool now...Take care!
@Gany15k (1673)
• India
1 Mar 10
Very bad.Even if he drunk also he should not have done like that.The amount is very big.I have never heard the story like this.No patience , no gain.
• United States
2 Mar 10
I was completely shocked when I read the news piece on AOL. They have many crazy news stories but this one is at the top of my list for now at least!! I would have been beyond thrilled to have won so much money! I would have given some to Charity, my church, paid my bills, saved some and just kept a little to splurge on. Bet he feels abit stupid and impatient now tho they didn't use his name! If he didn't need the money himself then he could at least have gotten the money and given it to charities that he believes in. Oh well....don't think he'll have another winning day like that! Be well!!
@Masihi (4413)
• Canada
1 Mar 10
Oh wow thats insane...but then again unexpected large winnings can do crazy things to a person...
• United States
2 Mar 10
Indeed!! I think perhaps he might have been drunk or had some other mental issues since it was just crazy to do that. People are unpredictable at best. My jaw all but dropped when I read the news piece. Thanks for sharing!! Be well!!