Imagine winning the state lottery and then finding out that the your winnings, one million dollars, may be forfeited because even playing is a violation of your probation. That's what happened to Timothy Elliot who was lucky enough to win a million dollars on a lottery scratch off won in the Massachusetts state lottery. However, it would seem he is unlucky enough to be on probation for robbing a bank (the alternate method for obtaining one million dollars).

Elliott plead guilty to unarmed robbery in October of 2006. This followed a January 2006 bank robbery that took place at a Cape Cod area bank. According to Elliot's Probation he "may not gamble, purchase lottery tickets or visit an establishment where gaming is conducted, including restaurants where Keno may be played."

Elliot has already received one of 20 lottery checks in the amount of $50,000. apparently Elliot's name came up in a lottery winner search that is routinely executed by the Massachusetts state lottery department in order to locate lottery winners that owe back child support payments and/or back taxes.

Lottery Spokesperson Dan Rosenfeld says he isn't quite sure what will happen in this case, in cases of back child support, or taxes, lottery winnings are confiscated and sent directly to the revenue department, however, as one might have guessed "This is kind of new Territory" says Rosenfeld.

- 2007-11-28