Lotto Max begins a new jackpot draw this week with the lottery firm expecting a $10 million jackpot on the line. But players are still curious about the $50 million winner in BC who won the massive prize on March 14, yet the ticket remains invalidated three weeks later.
The $50 million winning ticket came after over a month of draws that yielded no winners of the main prize. With ticket sales increasing the amount of money in the pot, Lotto Max pooled the money into 50 MaxMillions prizes each valued at $1 million in addition to the main jackpot.
When the draw was held on March 14, Lotto Max confirmed through the BCLC that the drawn numbers finally matched a ticket that was sold somewhere in the western province. The BCLC refuses to publicly confirm the identity of the winning ticketholder until the player comes forward to claim their grand prize.
Nevertheless, rumours are circulating across the province about the potential identity of the player. One theory is that the ticketholder is a minor who lives in Langley, a suburb in the Greater Vancouver Area.
Chris Fairclough, a spokesperson for BCLC, says rumours are merely rumours.
“This is not the first time I’ve heard a ridiculous rumour. The ticket has not been validated in our system.”
A minor in possession of the winning ticket is not an impossible theory. While a store clerk is prohibited from directly selling a ticket to a minor, there are ways for minors to buy tickets. Fairclough says if the winning ticketholder happens to be a minor then the $50 million will be set aside in an account managed by BCLC until the player turns 19.
The money could remain unclaimed for a longer period of time. Canadian lottery rules indicate players have up to a full year from the date of a winning draw to officially claim their prize.
