This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Lottery Law Edition
I’d like to win a big lottery prize. Who wouldn’t? There have been two distillery owners who won big in Canadian lotteries, and I think I should be next. The odds aren’t good, however. But it appears the odds are good that with any winning ticket there will be some legal drama.
A winning ticket can bring out the best in people, although recent news stories about lottery wins suggest the opposite. Here are three recent cases that prove a lottery win may bring big legal headaches.
The Million Dollar Memory Lapse
This week Ontario police charged a seventy-year-old man after he allegedly pocketed a group’s $1 million Lotto Max win. The ticket belonged to three people. He walked in and claimed it was all his. The lottery corporation’s forensic team reviewed the claim and sent it to the OPP. Investigators confirmed the ticket came from a group play. He is now charged with theft, fraud over $5,000, and possessing property obtained by crime. Two people in Toronto are probably rethinking their friendships.
Innocent until proven guilty, yes, but this tends to support my regularly expressed contention that just because you’re old, it doesn’t mean you are ethical.
The Girlfriend Who Cashed the Ticket and Vanished
A Winnipeg man says he bought a $5 million winning ticket and asked his girlfriend to claim it because he had no ID or bank account. He says she cashed the prize, deposited the money, and disappeared. He is now suing her and the lottery bodies for a constructive trust over the winnings. It is a strange story about trust, paperwork, and a prize that vanished as fast as the relationship did.
The Scratch Ticket That Started a Family Feud
In Nova Scotia, a family argument broke out after a $64,000 scratch-ticket win last spring. A woman scratched a ticket at home and celebrated the win. Another family member said he had paid for the ticket and the prize was his. The dispute escalated. The ticket ended up in the hands of police, who held it while the family argued over ownership. The lottery corporation refused to pay the prize until they received a clear legal direction. A $5 ticket turned into a full family feud, complete with lawyers and police reports. No jackpot seems to create chaos quite like the small ones.
I spend time dealing with people who fight over all sorts of things, often after drinking. Fighting over scratch tickets is a new level of chaos. If you find yourself holding a winning ticket and a complicated story, remember your right to silence and call my office before anyone else gets ideas.
