Arkansas judge orders former friends to split $500K win

After almost two years, a battle between two Arkansas men ended with a judge ordering them to evenly split the $500,000 they won on a scratch-off ticket.

Buying the tickets

The plaintiff, Jose Quinteros, claimed that he and the defendant, Jorge Rivera Palma, bought two scratch-off lottery tickets on February 2, 2023, at a convenience store in Rogers, according to court documents obtained by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

According to the plaintiff, the two men, who are former friends and co-workers, agreed to split the winnings from the two Arkansas 200X lottery tickets they bought.

As it turns out, the pair won $80 on the first set of tickets they purchased. They then agreed to buy more Arkansas Lottery scratch-off tickets with their winnings and equally split any more money they may have won.

Winning the top prize

The men decided to buy four Arkansas 200X scratch-off tickets with the winnings and one of them happened to win the top prize for the game, $500,000, according to the complaint.

Quinteros told the court that the two men made plans to go to Little Rock together to redeem the ticket. However, Palma changed his mind and then proceeded to go the next day with his nephew and redeemed the ticket without Quinteros.

During the trial, Palma testified there was never any agreement in place with Quinteros to split the winnings from the ticket.

Court records state Quinteros also sued Marco Corado Erazo, Palma's nephew since he was the person who redeemed the ticket in Little Rock. He also deposited the money into his uncle's bank account, officials said.

In court, Erazo told the judge he redeemed the ticket as a favor to his uncle and said he didn't know about any agreement between Quinteros and his uncle to split the winnings from the ticket.

Arkansas Lottery official testifies

During the court case, the chief legal counsel for the Arkansas Lottery, Jon Brent Stanridge, also took the stand. He told officials he first heard about the case on February 10 or 11, 2023, when an attorney called the office about the situation.

The office was asked to stop the payment to the winner, but Stanridge said the winner had already cashed the check.

Stanridge added that the office had not received any complaints about the winning ticket being stolen. If there are reports of a winning ticket being stolen, he said they have measures in place to hold the check.

The judge's ruling

The trial was held in Benton County, and Judge Xollie Duncan presided over the case to determine who the proper owner of the ticket was.

In the ruling, Duncan said there was a joint venture that existed between Quinteros and Palma, and because of that, Quinteros should receive half of the winnings.

The total amount of the check was $355,500 after taxes, so Palma's share is $177,750.

Quinteros' attorney, Aaron Cash, told the Democrat Gazette that his client was happy with the judge's decision and his team is satisfied with the judge's ruling.

Enjoy playing the Arkansas Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.