PETALING JAYA, Oct 19 — A businessman has failed in his bid to recover RM185,671 from Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn Bhd after losing his winning lottery ticket.
At the Shah Alam High Court today, judicial commissioner Seow Hock Peng dismissed M Mahendravarman’s appeal against a Sessions Court ruling that rejected his claim against the lottery operator, Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported.
The court also ordered him to pay RM3,000 in costs.
Mahendravarman said he purchased a ticket bearing the numbers 1515 and 1010 for RM30 at a Petaling Jaya outlet on May 14, 2022, and won RM185,671 in the draw. He photographed the ticket but later misplaced it.
He lodged a police report on May 16, 2022 and attempted to claim the prize using the photograph.
The company refused to pay without the original ticket.
According to FMT, during the appeal, counsel R Kengadharan argued that the sessions court had placed undue weight on the missing ticket while overlooking supporting evidence.
He pointed out that the company’s witness confirmed the serial number in the police report matched the photograph of the ticket, and that no one else had produced the original to claim the prize.
Kengadharan cited provisions of the Evidence Act 1950 to support the admission of secondary evidence in cases where original documents are lost.
The company’s lawyer, Shamala Devi Balasundaram, countered that its rules required the original ticket to prevent fraud or duplicate claims.
Kengadharan said he would seek instructions from his client on whether to pursue a further appeal.