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WEBVTT BEDS OVER ITSMEN'S DORMS.>> NOW TO A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE-- A SHAM., DOZENS OF LOTTERY CASH WINNERSLEFT WITH ANTI-WALLACE DUE TO AGLITCH IN THE SYSTEM.ONE FAMILY HAD THEIR HOPESCRUSHED.>> IT IS NOT UNUSUAL, PEOPLE INSEARCH OF THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMASGIFT AND BUYING A LOTTERYTICKET.>> HOUSE HAVING A GOOD DAY AND IWANTED TO TRY IT.I DON'T PLAY THE LOTTERY THATMUCH, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE,I'LL BUY A POWERBALL TICKET.>> CAUGHT A GUT FEELING BUTNICOLE KNEW SHE WAS ONTOSOMETHING WHEN SHE BOUGHT IT FORTHREE TICKET AND PITTED AFTERDOLLAR AND UP POPPED A WINTER.>> I WAS CALLING EVERYBODY.I WAS TOLD HIM I WANT $500.>> SHE BOUGHT ANOTHER TICKET.IT WAS ANOTHER WINNER ANDANOTHER WINNER AND I THOUGHTTHERE WAS MAYBE SOMETHING WRONGWITH THEIR MACHINE, THIS CAN'TBE REAL.>> SHE DROPPED TO TWO OTHER GASSTATION'S WITH THE SAME RESULTSSO SHE CALLED HER MOTHER-IN-LAW.>> I WON ON EVERY TICKET.LACKS TOGETHER THEY RACKED UPALMOST $18,000.>> THESE ARE ALL WINNERS.>> WHAT SEEMED TO BE A CHRISTMASMIRACLE TURNED INTO A SHAM WHENSHE WENT TO CATCH THE TICKETS.>> IT'S A TRANSITION NOTALLOWED.THE GAME IS NOT VALID.>> THE NEWS WAS HEARTBREAKING., SHE SAYS SHE TOLD HER KIDSTHEY WERE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD.>> I'VE BEEN PROMISING THEM FORFINALLY GET TO AND NOW I CAN'T.>> SPENDING $100 ON TICKETS,GETTING NOTHING RETURN, SHESAYS SHE IS STILL WAITING FOR ARESPONSE FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINAEDUCATION LOTTERY.>> WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONGIN THE STORES DIDN'T DO ANYTHINGWRONG, IT IS THEIR FAULT.HE SHOULD EITHER ONTO THETICKETS OR GIVE US OUR MONEYBACK.>> UNTIL THEN, SHE WILL NOT LETTHE SO-CALLED FLESH KNOWN HERCHRISTMAS.>> I WILL ALWAYS HAVE MY FAMILY.I'M THANKFUL FOR MY FAMILY, THAT

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Officials with the South Carolina Education Lottery said late Tuesday that a programming error caused an issue with Holiday Cash Add-A-Play game.The SCEL’s computer system vendor, Intralot, experienced a programming error on Christmas Day that impacted Holiday Cash Add-A-Play tickets, a $1 terminal-generated instant game, officials said in a statement.From 5:51 p.m. to 7:53 p.m., the same play symbol was repeated in all nine available play areas on tickets which would result in a top prize of $500. No more than five identical play symbols should appear for a single play. As soon as the issue was identified, the Add-A-Play game was suspended immediately to conduct a thorough investigation. Instant (scratch) tickets and all other lottery games were not affected by this error, officials said.They went on to say that Holiday Cash Add-A-Play game sales and validations will remain suspended until further notice. All players who purchased a Holiday Cash Add-A-Play ticket on Christmas Day during the time period affected are advised to hold on to their ticket(s) until the review is completed. A further announcement will be made at the end of this week, officials said.The impact of the programming errorImagine getting a lottery ticket for Christmas, and winning.That's what happened to two Upstate women Monday."I was having a good day and I wanted to try it," Nicole Coggins of Liberty told WYFF News 4.She said she had a gut feeling. "I don't play the lottery that much. Every once in a while, I'll buy a Powerball ticket, but something told me to buy a lottery ticket," she said.Coggins knew she was on to something when she bought a Holiday Cash ticket, and paid an extra dollar to add a play. Players have to get three Christmas trees in any vertical, horizontal or diagonal line in order to win a prize.Coggins won."I was happy," she said. "I was excited. I was calling everyone I knew, 'I won $500.'"To test her luck, Coggins bought another ticket."And it was another winner and another winner. So I thought, 'Well, maybe there is something wrong with their machine. This can't be real.'"She drove to two other gas stations with the same result, so she called her mother-in-law, Shawanna Ladd and suggested she try playing the game."I played $10 first, and I won on every ticket," Ladd said.Together they racked up almost $18,000 at different Liberty stores including Marathon, Spinx and Ball Mart.But their Christmas miracle turned out to be a sham, when Coggins went to cash in the tickets. The cashier put the tickets into the machine, but only disappointment came out."It told him 'transaction not allowed,' that the game was not valid," Coggins said.No one at the stores would talk to WYFF News 4 on camera, but a manager at one store said "it was crazy" on Christmas day, as the word got out about the winning tickets and dozens of people rushed in to buy them. He said the frenzy lasted for about an hour, before the machines stopped issuing tickets. The "winning" tickets inserted into the lottery machine to confirm the win said that the tickets were invalid, so no money was issued, he said.At least one other person called the WYFF News 4 newsroom to report the same situation, and there were published reports of similar invalid sales in the Charleston area.The news was heartbreaking for Coggins, who got emotional as she explained that she had already told her kids they were going to take a trip to Disney World."I had been promising them for years and I thought I would finally get to, and now I can't," she said.After spending $100 on lottery tickets, Coggins got nothing in return.She said Tuesday afternoon that she was still waiting for a response from the South Carolina Education Lottery."We didn't do anything wrong. The stores didn't do anything wrong. It's (the SCEL's) fault. I think they should either honor the tickets or give us our money back," Coggins said.Until then, she's not going to let the so-called glitch ruin her Christmas."I'll always have my family and I'm thankful for my family and that's the more important thing in the world," she said.The SCEL headquarters in Columbia is closed for the holidays and will reopen Wednesday.