$2 million BC/49 Winner Doesn’t Have to Share His Winnings

Mandeep Sing Maan from British Columbia in Canada is celebrating a court victory. A Supreme Court Justice ruled he doesn’t have to share a $2 million BC/49 lottery prize.

While it was accepted that in 2021 and 2022 he was part of a lottery syndicate with his co-workers, the judge ruled that his winning ticket was not purchased using group money.

Maan still works at the same freight and warehousing company despite the dispute. His co-workers claimed that they pooled $50 twice a week but Maan disputed this saying BC/49 tickets were only bought when the jackpot was high.

They alleged that in August 2022, Maan was given money and a free play ticket and he agreed to make some lottery purchases. This was denied by him and he said the winning ticket had been bought using his own money not that of others.

Secret

August 18, 2022 saw him find out that a $2 million BC/49 prize had been won. He only told family members about his win.  A $70 million Lotto Max jackpot winner kept news of his win secret  for two months.

Only when looking at Facebook did his co-workers learn of his BC/49 win. After initially congratulating him, they began their claim for a share of his winnings.  Last year saw a dispute over a $2 billion Powerball win.

No conclusive evidence

In her ruling, Supreme Court Justice Y. Liliane Bantourakis stated that there was no conclusive evidence that a binding agreement to make regular pool payments existed.

What evidence there was “more consistent with an ad hoc process” to make purchases. The judge also ruled that the amount Maan had charged to his debit card for the BC/49t purchase wasn’t consistent with the alleged payments by the pool.

Although the judge felt that the plaintiffs had a “sincerely held belief” they had a claim they hadn’t “established any legal entitlement.”

The B.C. Lottery Corporation has stated that those who buy group tickets should follow certain procedures. This includes written rules and keeping accurate records..

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