TORONTO - A retailer who claimed a $21.5-million winning lottery ticket and sparked a two-month internal investigation at Ontario's lottery corporation initially said the ticket belonged to a customer who had left the store, documents released under order of the province's privacy commissioner revealed Friday.

Store owner Eun Chul Shin "panicked" and told lottery officials in July 2006 that the winning ticket wasn't his because he was afraid that if he claimed it his information would be released to the media, according to internal documents from the Ontario Lottery Corp.

Shin's case was well-publicized at the time, after his former partner filed a lawsuit alleging he left her after the two won the $21.5 million in July 2006. The money has since been held in trust by the court while lawyers hammer out who rightfully owns the ticket.

"Based on the information obtained, there is no evidence to suggest that the winning Lotto 6/49 ticket in question was not purchased and validated by Mr. Eun Chul Shin," investigators said in the documents at the time.

The corporation's internal documents also show Shin, the owner of a Cambridge, Ont., store, had pocketed almost $17,000 in previous wins before claiming the $21.5-million Lotto 6/49 jackpot on July 10, 2006.

Shin won $10,000 the week before in an instant crossword game and three separate Pro-Line wins that year. He also won a $2,300 Lotto 6/49 draw in July, 1999. The OLG sales representative for the Cambridge store described Shin as a "heavy lottery player."

The OLG was compelled to release the internal documents detailing the probe under a Freedom of Information request filed and appealed by the CBC to the province's privacy commissioner.

In response to a Freedom of Information request about the internal probe, the lottery corporation refused to confirm or deny the investigation and said if documents did exist, they would be protected under privacy laws.

Ontario's assistant privacy commissioner ruled OLG violated the public trust and couldn't justify hiding documents about the Cambridge case.

"The public must remain vigilant. This information is necessary to allow them to do so," assistant commissioner Brian Beamish wrote in his 51-page ruling a month ago.

"The public pours more than $2 billion into lotteries each year. Its trust has been broken and only persistent scrutiny of the OLG's actions with respect to insider wins can help restore that trust."

The lottery corporation came under fire last year following a scandal sparked by a disproportionate number of jackpot wins by so-called lottery insiders.

Ombudsman Andre Marin slammed the lottery corporation in his examination, saying it ignored allegations of widespread retailer fraud, "coddling" ticket sellers while playing "games" with customers who complained they had been cheated.

But the lottery corporation said much has changed since then.

Insider wins are no longer investigated by the OLG but rather scrutinized by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario which now oversees the lottery corporation, said lottery spokeswoman Teresa Roncon.

Lottery terminals now freeze for all wins of over $5,000, retailers have to use a special "retailer button" that identifies them as insiders and all original tickets have to be returned to the customer, she said. All tickets have to be signed by the customer and there are more terminals that allow players to check their own tickets, she added.

"There are many levels of checks and balances," Roncon said.

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