3 months after the draw, $80M Ontario lotto winners have stepped forward. Here’s why a delay isn’t unusual

It’s been over three months since the winning ticket for a record-setting $80-million Lotto Max draw was sold in London, Ont., and the massive jackpot is now in the process of being claimed.

Tony Bitonti, a spokesperson for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), said two people have claimed the prize and their names will be released in an official announcement once the verification process is completed.

The draw for what the OLG is calling the largest-ever win in Ontario was Dec. 30. It ties the $80 million awarded last year by the B.C. Lottery Corp., which said it was the biggest jackpot ever won in the province as well as the largest individual win in Canada.

Bitonti said he doesn’t know the names of the two Ontario claimants, their relationship to each other or the exact location where the ticket was sold. It was purchased at a store, not on the OLG mobile app, he added.

“We have to make sure that they are the legitimate owners of that ticket and we’re anticipating paying out that big prize shortly.”

Time to consult lawyers, family members

While many winners of such a massive prize wouldn’t delay to cash it in, Bitonti said, it’s common for some people to take some time before claiming the loot.

“On these bigger prizes, anything from $50 [million] to $80 million, we always see that they do take some time to think about the enormity of what’s happening to them and to get their affairs in order.”

He said winners often want time to consult family members and financial advisors, and maybe even speak with a lawyer before forever changing their lives by claiming jackpots.

“We’ve seen this time and time again over the years. They do have up to one year from the draw date to claim that prize. We say check your ticket right away but to come to the prize centre as prepared as possible.”

Sitting on a such a large unclaimed prize often leads to some complex emotions, Bitonti said. Winners can verify a winning ticket by taking it to a retail location, but many feel reluctant to do that.

“A lot of times winners are nervous and they don’t want the machine to start with the bells and whistles, ‘Winner, gagnant‘ — they don’t want that attention drawn to them.”

He said winners can start the claim process by calling OLG or checking the ticket using the mobile app. A photo of the winning ticket can also be sent to the OLG website to start the claims process.

If a winner of a big prize calls, OLG staff will walk them through the process of uploading a photo of the ticket to get the prize claim process started and create an initial record of the win. Paper tickets have security information that helps ensure the claim is legit, said Bitonti.

He recommends that winners also sign their tickets right away so it’s difficult for someone else to claim any prize should they get misplaced or fall into the wrong hands.

Through its system, OLG can detect when a winning ticket is being checked through the mobile app.

Bitonti said some winners will check their tickets dozens of times.

“It’s so incredibly impossible for them to fathom that they’ve won this amount of money. We see the hits on the app, but we don’t know who’s checking the ticket. We’ve had people check it 20 or 30 times just to make sure they are the winner. They go to sleep, wake up and check it again to see if it’s a dream.”

At some point though, winners of large jackpots will have to come to the OLG’s prize centre in Toronto to get their cheques.

Bitonti has heard stories of people putting tickets in safety deposit boxes or hiding them until they can come in to collect.

“We had a couple come from Ottawa with a $40-million ticket on the train and they actually had the ticket in a little plastic baggie in their boot,” he said. “Then when they came in to the prize centre, they took the boot off, they pulled out the plastic baggie and they gave us the ticket.”

Damaged ticket? They can restore it

What if a winning ticket is badly damaged?

Bitonti said OLG has a “a type of CSI” lab where they can restore damaged tickets, assuming other verification information checks out.

“If it goes through the wash, or a paper shredder or something, we can reconstruct tickets to prove that those folks bought the ticket. We don’t want to deny them the money, but we need to verify that they’re the rightful winner too.”

Bitonti said it’s rare that large wins don’t get claimed. But it does happen.

The OLG website lists some of the current larger unclaimed wins. The highest amount on that list is $40 million from a ticket sold last October in “rural Toronto west.” There are also two unclaimed $1-million prizes and a handful of smaller wins, from $100,000 down to $10,000.

The OLG’s largest prize that was never claimed is a $70-million ticket sold in 2022.

Bitonti said money went unclaimed despite a concerted campaign asking players to check their tickets. The OLG received claims for that win, but no one who came forward could answer basic questions about where and when they’d bought the ticket.

Large unclaimed wins get reabsorbed into the OLG’s prize pool.

The big prize for tonight’s Lotto Max draw is nearing the $80-million record. It’s at $75 million.