Indiana Lottery Halts Sales After $100,000 Ticket Misprint

The Indiana Lottery suspended sales of its Space Invaders Cash Invasion scratch-off on June 17, 2026, after players reported tickets showing prize amounts larger than those recorded in the state’s validation system. Printed amounts on some tickets reached $100,000 while the central database logged much smaller wins.

Player Mike Fields recounted that his ticket “appeared to show a $100,000 win” after he scratched the rocket symbol that the game’s rules say pays the amount shown. At a retail counter check the ticket was logged as a $20 payout. Another player, Glendon Jones, reported thinking he had won $2,500 before being told the ticket was not a winner in the system.

Lottery officials described the issue as a “technical problem” tied to the game’s launch and said some tickets were printed with prize amounts that did not match the amounts registered in the official validation system. The lottery removed the tickets from sale and opened an investigation to determine how the misprint occurred.

Officials are asking affected players to file formal claims so the lottery can review each disputed ticket. The agency has not provided a timetable for resuming sales or completing its review. Officials warned that resolution of payout disputes could take time.

Lottery payouts are determined by scanning a ticket barcode and checking the state’s central database. When the printed prize and the database differ, the database is the record used to validate prizes. Past precedent suggests larger printed amounts are unlikely to be paid if they do not validate.

A similar printing error in 2024 left at least one player believing they had won hundreds of thousands of dollars before validation found the ticket had no value. Companies that produce and validate ticketed products say production controls and alignment with central validation systems are needed to prevent mismatches.