If you buy a lottery ticket, you know that there’s a chance that you might strike it rich. You also know that there’s a much better chance that you won’t win anything at all; however, the hope of striking it rich is what compels many people to keep playing the lottery.

It would make sense to assume that the more lottery tickets you buy the better your chances are at winning, yet nothing is guaranteed. As one man found out, even £1,500 worth of lottery tickets is no guarantee.

When Andrew Lochrie was 28 years old, he was in debt and desperate for money. He had a job, but he was hoping to luck out and win some extra money, so he stole lottery tickets from his workplace.

Lochrie was working at a co-op store when he decided to steal from his employer. He ended up stealing £1,500 in National Lottery instant game scratch cards. His lawyer, Edel McGinty, described this decision as “an act of desperation at a desperate time.”

We can only assume the Lochrie was confident he would win something with all of those lottery scratch cards, but he ended up winning absolutely nothing. McGinty explained to the Greenock Sheriff court, “None of the scratchcards yielded anything.”

Sheriff Andrew McIntyre described not winning anything from so many scratch cards as “a lesson.” It seems that Lochrie has learned his lesson. McGinty explained that Lochrie “is filled with shame and regret. It is not lost on Mr Lochrie that he was in a position of trust.”

In order to make up for stealing the scratch cards, the sheriff ordered Lochrie to replay his employer for the cost of the lottery tickets, £1,500. In addition, he was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work to make up for his error in judgement. 

According to McGinty, once there was “an investigation within the workplace” regarding the missing lottery tickets, Lochrie came clean and admitted that he was guilty.

Have you ever turned to the lottery hoping you would win enough to pay your debts? Does it surprise you that you could scratch off £1,500 worth of lottery tickets and not win anything? Do you think Lochrie’s punishment fit the crime?