‘They Just Said We Wouldn’t Be Paid Today,’ Lottery Player Says After His $100,000 Scratch-Off Prize Was Only Worth $20
Mike Fields scratched a $5 lottery ticket and saw the number that changes lives: $100,000. The Indiana forklift driver had bought four Space Invaders Cash Invasion tickets after the game launched on June 2, 2026. When he scanned the apparent winner, the machine told him it was only worth $20.
How the Game Was Supposed to Work
The Space Invaders Cash Invasion scratch-off, produced by Indiana’s Hoosier Lottery, carried a straightforward mechanic: scratch the rocket ship symbol, win the prize printed below it instantly. The game’s advertised prize structure included three top awards of $100,000 and 27 second-tier prizes of $2,500. Players paid $5 per ticket. What the lottery’s own records showed, however, was an entirely different set of numbers from what had been physically printed on the cards.
The Scan That Shattered the Moment
After discovering the apparent $100,000 prize, Fields scanned his ticket at a retailer. The machine registered $20. He then drove to Hoosier Lottery headquarters in Indianapolis, hoping for a resolution. Officials told him the game had a technical issue but stopped short of an outright denial. According to WXIN, Fields recalled what he was told: “They never told us, ‘No.’ They just said that we wouldn’t be paid today, and no other information really, except that we would be informed by mail within 30 days.”
Another Player, Another Broken Promise
Fields was not alone. Glendon Jones, also a Space Invaders Cash Invasion player, believed he had won $2,500. He made the trip to lottery headquarters in Indianapolis expecting to walk away with a check. Instead, he was turned away empty-handed. According to WXIN, Jones told reporters: “I get here, and they say it’s a mess-up, a misprint, and that I’m pretty much out of luck on it.” His ticket, the lottery said, was worth nothing at all.
Wider Than Two Players
As Fields and Jones went public with their stories, others came forward. A WXIN reporter said at least seven people had contacted her with similar complaints about the same game. A Reddit post by Fields describing his experience accumulated more than 77,000 upvotes, drawing widespread attention to the dispute. Tyson Enochs, another player who had purchased more than 20 tickets, also reported being told his apparent $100,000 win was invalid when he tried to collect moments after scratching it.
The Lottery’s Explanation
The Hoosier Lottery confirmed the problem was a printing error. Jared Bond, the lottery’s Director of External Affairs, stated in a release obtained by PEOPLE that the issue involved tickets displaying prize amounts that did not match what was recorded in the lottery commission’s official validation database. In other words, the physical tickets and the backend system were out of sync. Bond added that the lottery was reviewing all applicable rules and procedures to determine how to properly resolve the situation for affected players.
Sales Halted, Game Pulled
The Hoosier Lottery moved quickly to pull the $5 Space Invaders Cash Invasion game from shelves entirely. In a statement posted to its website, the lottery said: “The $5 Space Invaders Cash Invasion Scratch-off launched with a technical issue. We halted the sales of the ticket to ensure the game experience upholds the integrity we strive to provide.” Notably, the lottery’s own prize database, updated after the controversy broke, listed all three $100,000 top prizes and all 27 second-tier prizes of $2,500 as still unclaimed.
What Players Can Do Now
The Hoosier Lottery directed affected players to complete an official Space Invaders Protest Form available on its website. The process requires submitting the original physical ticket — photographs and copies are not accepted — along with a government-issued ID. All materials must be mailed to the lottery no later than November 30, 2026, or the complaint will be dismissed entirely. Players with questions can also call the Hoosier Lottery customer line at 1-800-955-6886 or email [email protected].
The Question of Legal Recourse
Several affected players have signaled they may pursue legal action if the lottery does not pay out prizes as printed on their tickets. Tyson Enochs stated he would consider suing if he was not compensated for what he believed he had won. The Hoosier Lottery is governed by Indiana Code 4-30 and operates under state administrative rules that give the commission significant authority in resolving prize disputes, meaning the outcome of any challenge could depend heavily on how the lottery interprets its own validation procedures.
A Printing Error With Real Consequences
The Space Invaders Cash Invasion fiasco highlights a gap that most lottery players never think about: the prize on a ticket and the prize in the lottery’s computer are not always the same thing, and in a dispute, the computer wins. For Fields, Jones, and others who believed they had finally caught a life-changing break, the experience ended with a form letter and a protest form. The Hoosier Lottery has yet to confirm whether any affected player will receive the amounts their tickets appeared to promise.