Time is running out for the holder of a winning $70 million lottery ticket, with the deadline to claim the staggering prize set to expire later today.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation has said the ticket, which was drawn in June 2022, would be the largest unclaimed individual jackpot in the country if a winner doesn’t step forward.
OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti says 1,100 people have called the corporation claiming to have lost the winning ticket since May, when it was announced that a winner had not yet emerged.
Bitonti says the OLG is currently assessing around 100 claims to see if any of them are legitimate.
He says the OLG has all the information about the winning ticket, including when and where it was sold, so identifying the rightful winner would be straightforward.
He says he hopes the winner comes forward before the 10:30 pm deadline.
"There is still the possibility that we may find a needle in the haystack," he said.
If the real winner is not identified, the prize money will be returned to the Lotto Max prize pool and put towards future promotions and draws, Bitonti said.
"Eventually that money will come back to the players," he said.
He explained that verifying individual claims can take several days and urged anyone who thinks they may be the winner to call the OLG.
"As long as people have made a claim prior to the expiry, you're still in the queue .... to try to claim that prize," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2023.
The Canadian Press