Lotto 6/49 Winner Finally Claims his Prize

William Hill from Barrie in Ontario, Canada won a $51,370 Lotto 6/49 prize. The win came in the January 18, 2020, draw but he’s only just claimed his prize.

The 66-year-old retiree was shocked when his ticket for that draw was a winner. He’d purchased his Lotto 6/49 ticket from the Circle K on Leacock Drive in Barrie. He’d never had a big win before, so no wonder his $51,370 success surprised him so much.

So excited

"I just sat down at home and looked at the winning numbers printout I got from the store. When I saw the numbers matched, I was so excited. I was only one number away from the jackpot," said the Lotto 6/49.

He didn’t claim his prize right away though. In fact, Mr Hill nearly lost out altogether in claiming his Lotto 6/49 prize. Usually, winner must claim their prize a year after the date of the draw. Failure to do will see the winning ticket expire.

However, we have not been living in normal times for the past year or so. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) have allowed this winner to claim the $51,370 windfall. He could have taken advantage of the virtual claim process that has been in place during the pandemic. However, William wanted to receive his Lotto 6/49 winnings in person.

A solution

A solution was found that allowed the Lotto 6/49 winner to receive his prize at a later date. "We allowed him to do that by opening a prize claim file in his name before the ticket expired," said OLG external communications director Tony Bitonti.

Mr Small hasn’t said just why he wanted to wait to receive his Lotto 6/49 winnings. Perhaps he just didn’t like the virtual claim process. When asked about he’ll spend his windfall, he said that investments will be made that will help his retirement. "I will put it away for now and make decisions later, he said. He seems to like waiting to make decisions or claim lottery prizes.

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