Hoosier Lottery Technical Issue Leads Winner to Mistake $100K Jackpot for $20 Prize

Mike Fields bought four $5 tickets for the fresh Space Invaders Cash Invasion scratch-off and hit what looked like the top prize.

A rocket ship symbol pointed to $100,000.

Credit: FOX59 News / YouTube

He and his wife drove straight to Hoosier Lottery headquarters in downtown Indianapolis, ready to claim the windfall.

Instead, officials turned him away. The ticket scanned for just $20.

Fields later told reporters the staff offered no firm denial on the spot, only that they would send a decision by mail within weeks.

“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,” he said.

The episode stems from a printing error on the newly launched game, as some tickets displayed big prizes that did not match the official validation records.

Hoosier Lottery pulled the entire run from shelves days after its June 2 debut.

Jared Bond, Director of External Affairs for the Hoosier Lottery, laid out the situation in a statement:

“Last Tuesday, we became aware of a technical issue with our recently launched $5 Space Invaders Cash Invasion Scratch-off. The issue involved a printing error where some tickets appeared to show a prize different from what was recorded on the lottery commission’s official validation record. The lottery is reviewing all applicable rules and procedures to determine the proper remedy.”

Another player, Glendon Jones, thought he had scored $2,500.

He made the same trip to headquarters and left empty-handed.

“They said to come down here to headquarters and they would pay the ticket,” Jones recalled. “I get here and they say it’s a mess up, misprint and that I’m pretty much out of luck on it.”

Lottery officials added a notice to the game’s page on their site.

Affected players must fill out a specific Space Invaders Protest Form, mail in the original ticket, and wait for review.

The deadline for submissions runs through November 30, 2026. Questions can go to 1-800-955-6886.

The $5 game features classic Space Invaders-style graphics and offers odds of about 1 in 3.70 for any prize. Other versions of the Space Invaders Fast Play game and its second-chance drawings continue without interruption.

Frustration spread quickly among buyers who scratched what appeared to be four and five-figure wins only to learn the real value sat far lower.

On social media, some players have talked about consulting lawyers, though the lottery maintains it follows validation rules set by the commission.

Indiana’s lottery, which funnels proceeds to public schools and other state programs, has faced no prior issues of this scale with scratch-offs in recent memory.

Officials say the goal now centers on fairness and sorting legitimate claims from the flawed print batch.