Lotto Max Jackpot Winners have to Wait for Payout
Tuesday January 10th 2012On the 23rd December 2011 the Lotto Max reached its jackpot limit meaning that there was a $50 million top prize available to win. However, no one won it so it rolled to the following draw where one winning ticket matched the Lotto Max results to win the $50 million jackpot on the 30th December 2011. The holders of this ticket were a couple from Ontario named as JoAnn and Gaetan Champagne, but it now seems that these Lotto Max jackpot winners will now have to wait for their payout.
This couple owned Jo’s Depanneur in Hawkesbury until October 2011 when they sold it, however JoAnn carried on working at the shop part-time. This shop sells lottery tickets and the rules that govern lottery retailers state that all retailers are allowed to play the lottery, but they can’t buy or validate their tickets at their own shop. Also the rules say that anyone who wins a major prize in this lottery game and who has sold tickets within the past year is subject to an OLG review called the Insider Wins process.
These rules mean that the Champagne’s Lotto Max jackpot win will now be under review by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The couple travelled to Toronto last week to start of this claim process, which if successful, well see them become $50 million better off.
The couple managed to win this Lotto Max jackpot on a free-play ticket from a previous win. When they first checked their lottery ticket to see if they has won a prize they thought they had won $50,000, but actually it seemed to be a case of counting the zero’s wrong as it took a cashier to tell them that they had actually won the jackpot.
It may take up to two months for the couple to finally receive their Lotto Max winnings, and they both aren’t concerned over the review as the ticket didn’t come from the shop which they use to own. If and when they get their winnings they plan to share it with their sons, and then donate some money to the Hawkesbury food bank as it was robbed last month.