Winning OLG Lotto Max Ticket: Can You Claim Anonymously?
The news that a $70 million winning OLG ticket will expire tonight has everyone who’s ever played the lottery in Ontario checked their pockets, dug through their couch cushions, and searched everywhere in between.
If no winner emerges by 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night, it will be the largest unclaimed ticket in Canadian history, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission (OLG) confirmed to CTV News Toronto.
The ticket itself was purchased in Scarborough for the June 28, 2022 Lotto Max draw and had the winning numbers 8, 19, 22, 41, 42, 46, 47 Bonus 10, according to the OLG.
Apart from that, little is known about the mysterious ticket holder.
“I hope we don’t make the record books, but you never know, time is ticking away quickly and there is still a chance, but you never know,” said OLG spokesman Tony Bitonti on Tuesday.
With so much money at stake, and the media attention that comes with it, is it possible the winner is there but doesn’t want to be identified?
According to Bitonti, it has happened before.
“We have winners who wish to remain anonymous and we understand their concerns,” he said in a follow-up statement to CTV News Toronto.
In a mysterious post on Reddit four months ago, an unknown woman wrote to the Ontario subreddit that she had won a “huge amount of money some time ago.”
“I want to legally claim the prize without painting a target on my back for the rest of my life,” the Reddit user wrote from an account that appears to have been all but abandoned since the post was posted.
While the more than 540 comments on the post range from recommending you legally change your name to wearing an elaborate disguise, the rule around big prizes and the person winning them is clear: You must be identified.
“At a minimum, we need to take a photo of the winner to prove someone won a prize,” explains Bitonti.
The OLG website shows that the Crown Corporation publishes all winnings of $1,000 or more and that “big prizes” require a photo of the winner. For those bigger jackpots, Bitonti said, the OLG will “usually” issue a press release “to prove to the lottery players that someone actually won the prize.”
“Remember, lottery purchases are made anonymously, so we have to show that the money is going to someone,” he said.
A clerk hands over printouts of a customer’s Lotto Max ticket at a gas station north of Newcastle, Ontario on Thursday, October 6, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives
The spokesperson said wigs, sunglasses or disguises are not allowed when a winner’s photo is taken, although face masks are allowed.
But are there any circumstances where someone can anonymously claim a big winning lottery ticket? Bitonti said there are, but the exemption has only been granted “a few” times.
“We also have stipulations that people can remain anonymous… but there are criteria for that… ie. Abused spouse, secret law enforcement or potential for harm to a winner,” he said.
Winners who wish to start the anonymity process must have an attorney contact the OLG, Bitonti added.
Other than these measures, the identity of a winning ticket holder is unlikely to remain a mystery long after they come forward to claim their prize.
If the $70 million winning ticket is not claimed, the prize money will be returned to players through future bonus games or promotions, the OLG said.
With files on Hannah Alberga
