OTTAWA — A Holgate man has filed a civil lawsuit against the owner of a Cloverdale pub, alleging he was denied more than $341,000 in winnings from a weekly drawing. The suit, filed in Putnam County Common Pleas Court, claims the bar owner refused to pay the grand prize after the man, who is 20, won the "Queen of Hearts" jackpot.
Ezekiel Belmares, 20, of Holgate, alleges Rodney Kesler of Continental, owner of the Cloverdale Pub located at 196 Mahoning St., Cloverdale, owes him the substantial sum, according to the lawsuit. Belmares is asking for a jury trial to determine the legitimacy of his winnings.
At the heart of the dispute is the pub's weekly "Queen of Hearts" 50/50 drawing. The lawsuit describes the drawing's premise: participants buy a ticket, write their name and contact information, and select a number between 1 and 54. These tickets are then placed in a large cage. The drawing, which the suit claims is conducted by Kesler, involves a deck of 52 playing cards and two jokers, each numbered 1 through 54. A ticket is drawn from the cage, and if the number on that ticket matches the number assigned to the Queen of Hearts, the person wins the grand prize. If a different card is drawn, the winner receives a lesser prize, and the jackpot rolls over to the following week.
According to the lawsuit, Belmares purchased 20 tickets, each costing $1, for the drawing held on Aug. 4, 2026. While there was no grand prize winner that evening, Belmares’ ticket was selected, earning him a “minor” prize of $500. The Holgate man provided his Ohio-issued driver’s license as a valid form of identification and was paid his winnings, the suit states.
Belmares returned to the Cloverdale Pub the following Tuesday, purchasing 20 more $1 tickets for the Aug. 11 drawing. The grand prize had reportedly not been won since Sept. 27, 2023, and by then, the jackpot had accumulated to more than $341,000, according to the lawsuit. Belmares claimed in the lawsuit that he again held the winning ticket at the Aug. 11 drawing, along with the Queen of Hearts, making him the grand prize winner.
However, on this occasion, Kesler allegedly refused to award the prize money. The bar owner claimed that ticket sales were restricted to individuals age 21 or older, the lawsuit states. Kesler not only refused to pay Belmares but used the public address system in the bar to announce that the prize would not be awarded “because (Belmares) had not followed the rules,” according to the lawsuit.
Belmares, however, contended in the suit that no prior notice was given regarding any age restriction on ticket sales. He further claimed that the Queen of Hearts drawings are “part of a coordinated scheme by Kesler” to misappropriate prize monies.
Belmares is represented by attorney Zachary Murry of Barkan & Robon Ltd. of Maumee and seeks relief through a jury trial. A pretrial hearing in the case has been scheduled for Oct. 27 before Putnam County Common Pleas Court Judge Keith Schierloh.