$50M lottery dispute in Ontario resolved
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation has announced a temporary resolution to a dispute between two different groups of co-workers over a $50-million Lotto Max jackpot, the largest single-ticket win in the province's history.
Originally, a group of 19 Bell Canada co-workers in east Toronto validated the Dec. 31 winning ticket on Jan. 3. The ticket had been bought through an office pool.
But then a group of 11 other co-workers came forward to say they deserved a share as well, and hired a lawyer to represent them. The case has been in limbo since then (see sidebar).
The group of 19 have each agreed to for now accept a one-thirtieth share of the winnings until the claim raised by the other 11 Bell workers can be evaluated. Instead of collecting $2.6 million on Monday, each of the original 19 claimants will receive a share of $1.67 million.
The remainder of the winnings, about $18.3 million, will be paid to a court, which will then determine who of the 11 claimants in the other group have a legitimate claim. Any part of the $18.3 million that hasn't been awarded to members of the second group will be given back to the original claimants.
The OLG has investigated the original group of 19, and has determined that they are all rightful claimants to a portion of the prize. They picked up their cheques at a news conference Monday.
Genevieve Tomney of CBC News covered Monday's news conference and said the workers were happy, despite the uncertainty surrounding the rest of the prize.
"They were trying to keep their chins up despite the controversy still surrounding their win," Tomney reported.
One of the Bell employees told CBC News in January that there have been only 19 people in their office pool since it started in December, and that the claims from the second group have cast a shadow over their earlier joy at winning.
Nathalie Damianidis, who organized the office pool, was one of the 19 who collected a share of the winnings on Monday. She said she's confident the office pool was managed correctly.
"I think I did everything by the book," said Damianidis. "I had my book there on my desk it was there for everyone to see."
