It seemed better than the lottery, and she didn't even have to buy a ticket.

Huron resident Denise Bossetti explains it like this:

She was standing in the living room of her Huron home some weeks ago, looking over a letter she'd just received from the Ohio Department of Taxation. She showed it to her boyfriend, Charlie Dise.

The letter indicated the tax department couldn't direct deposit Bossetti's state tax return, so instead she would receive a check.

For $200 million.

"I thought, 'They are going to have a big negative when they cut that check,'" Bossetti said. "We had a big laugh. I kept saying to Charlie, 'What's it like to live with someone with $200 million?' He said, 'Let's wait till we get the check.'"

Bossetti wasn't alone.

She was one of 9,700 taxpayers across the state who received letters from the Ohio Department of Taxation promising grossly inflated refunds.

"This has never happened before," said Gary Gudmundson, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Taxation. "The problem has been fixed."

Read the full story in Friday's Register.

Related File(s): 

A notice from the Ohio Department of Taxation explaining the glitch.

A notice from the Ohio Department of Taxation explaining the glitch.