PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- An Ohio man is going to jail for buying a lot more lottery tickets than he could pay for.

Patrick Murray has pleaded guilty to bouncing three checkstotaling $181,000, while trying to win the Ohio Lottery.

In all, he spent more than $1 million on lottery tickets.


The lottery commission said one store still owes almost half a million dollars for tickets Murray got but never paid for. Murray says he'll do what he can to make it right. But his defense lawyer says that will be tough. Murray lives on a monthly disability pension because he has a neurological condition that causes rapid tics.


The three stores, meanwhile, are also in trouble. Officials say they violated state policy by letting Murray buy so many tickets without the cash up front.

[shock]

[:O] wtf.  Some people should NOT be allowed to buy lottery tickets, period.  I mean, you've got a better chance of being repeatedly struck by lightning than hitting a jackpot.

Right.. like the state's going to make more than a token objection to this guy giving them a million bucks. It's just CYA so they don't get sued by some mental health advocacy group.

The stores owe the state. The state never got the money.