Man who thought he won $238 million Powerball loses dispute against Lottoland

Australians who believed they had won hundreds of millions of dollars have been left empty-handed by a game that “continues to confuse”.

Another case of mistaken lotteries has left a man who thought he had won $238 million empty-handed following a dispute over deceptive conduct.

It’s the second time the major international gambling provider Lottoland has been challenged after a woman, referred to as Ms B, earlier this year claimed she held a ticket for the $126 million US Powerball prize.

But she had actually entered another jackpot drawn on the same day as the Powerball advertised with a similar logo, known as the THU Jackpot.

Another man, referred to as Mr O, made a similar claim to the Northern Territory Racing Commission, where Lottoland holds its Australian licence.

He argued he selected the correct numbers in another US Powerball jackpot but he had actually entered in the US Power competition drawn at a similar time.

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The man was left empty-handed.

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Both the complaints accused the gaming giant of deceptive conduct, saying the games were being advertised with a similar logo which caused confusion.

Lottoland rejected the claims, insisting it hadn’t included “Powerball” in its products since 2016.

It also stated it had not offered any bets on foreign drawn lotteries since federal legislation banned it in early 2019, saying its terms and conditions on the website “clearly provides information on ‘what is jackpot betting’ which is available through links”.

“The information on ‘what is jackpot betting’ also expressly states that ‘US Power is no longer a bet on the outcome of an international lottery,’” the company submitted to the commission.

“Logos of the US Power and the American Lottery are not the same or similar in any way.”

The commission rejected Mr O’s claim just as it did Ms B, declaring the man’s ticket entry was a lawful bet but was not a winning bet in its decision handed down on August 14.

“As a result, the commission is satisfied that no moneys are payable to the complainant by Lottoland in respect of that lawful bet,” the decision states.

But the conduct of Lottoland has been slammed by the peak body representing Australian lottery companies, saying the game “continues to confuse Australian consumers with fake lottery facade”.

“Lottoland has always, and continues to, operate out of legislative loopholes,” Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association CEO Ben Kearney said in a statement provided to news.com.au.

“People are reporting being confused by their offering and tactics.

“We have long held that the branding and marketing fails the reasonable person test.

“Even its name, based on the word ‘lotto’, is overtly misleading when there is no relationship with any lottery; it is a fiction.”