Indiana lottery approved $50,000 win for a man whose ticket was torn into pieces by a store employee

• A lottery winner was initially denied a $50,000 Powerball prize because his ticket was torn up.
• A store employee habitually ripped lottery tickets after checking them with the lottery terminal.
• But Indiana's lottery commission approved the man's appeal last week, granting him the prize money.

The Hoosier Lottery Commission, which oversees the operation of Indiana's official state lottery, approved a man's claim to a $50,000 Powerball prize even though his ticket was ripped up.