The biggest lottery prizes that remain unclaimed in Canada

Across the country, several Canadian lottery players have won and missed the deadline to claim their prizes.

Imagine not knowing that you’ve just won a life-changing amount of money. While it’s rare, some lottery players who’ve won massive prizes have missed the deadline, leaving huge amounts of cash unclaimed.

If you win the lottery, you have exactly one year from the draw date to claim your windfall, and as the deadline nears, lottery corporations put out announcements to get winners to come forward. Although lottery corporations put in a lot of effort to track winners, it’s not always possible. As a result, uncollected money goes back into the prize pool.

So what happens if the winner comes forward after the deadline?

In an interview with Daily Hive, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) Spokesperson Tony Bitonti said, “They’d have to have a really good reason (to claim tickets) past a year. It’s a case-by-case basis, and we determine if they’re the rightful owners of the tickets.”

His advice: Sign your lottery ticket immediately after the draw. Or better yet, buy it online.

Here’s a look at the biggest prizes that remain unclaimed by region.

Moncton, N.B. — $1 million

To date, the largest unclaimed prize in New Brunswick is worth $1 million, and the ticket was sold in 2011.

Another lottery player from New Brunswick nearly missed out on a Lotto Max second prize worth $262,326.60. The ticket was sold in Miramichi for the Nov. 19, 2024, draw, but luckily, the player came forward just in time before the deadline.

An Atlantic Lottery representative said that almost 99 percent of all prizes are paid to players.

“While they don’t all get claimed quickly, nearly all big prizes do get claimed,” she stated.

One New Brunswick lottery player almost missed his chance to claim his $64 million Lotto 6/49 prize. Merel Chiasson of Bas-Caraquet, N.B., walked into the Atlantic Lottery head office with the ticket to claim his winnings 19 days before the deadline. His reason? His ticket had been forgotten among a stack of unchecked tickets on his bedroom dresser for almost a year.

Charlottetown, P.E.I. — $1 million

In 2018, a lottery player purchased a ticket in Charlottetown, P.E.I., in the hopes of winning big — and they did and won $1 million. However, for some reason, they never came forward to claim their prize.

According to Atlantic Lottery, despite the organization’s efforts to raise awareness in hopes that a winner would come forward, the prize ultimately expired a year after the draw date.

Alberta — $14.9 million

Someone in Alberta won and missed out on their chance to become a multimillionaire.

According to the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC), which oversees Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, someone in Alberta purchased a Lotto 6/49 ticket and won $14.9 million in the June 7, 2006, draw after splitting the jackpot with a winner from Atlantic Canada.

“The ticket was purchased somewhere in Alberta outside of Calgary and Edmonton,” stated a WCLC representative. “Since then, we have not had a win anywhere close to that amount expire. In fact, I don’t believe we’ve had anything over $1 million expire since the June 2006 expiry.”

WCLC regularly updates its website with information on unclaimed prizes.

British Columbia — $15 million

On Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, someone in Canada won a multimillion-dollar prize.

After they matched the winning numbers 01, 14, 17, 20, 28, 32, and 38, the lottery player won the $15 million Lotto Max jackpot. Despite their good fortune, it looks like they didn’t even know they won because the prize remains the second-largest unclaimed prize in Canada.

A British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) representative stated, “A $15 million Lotto Max ticket purchased in Vancouver in 2021 was never claimed. The ticket expired after Aug. 13, 2022.”

Ontario — $70 million

If you thought missing out on a $15 million prize was awful luck, someone in Ontario had it far worse.

During a Lotto Max draw on June 28, 2022, an Ontario lottery player won the $70 million jackpot. However, they never came forward to claim their windfall, and it remains the largest unclaimed prize in Canada.

Bitonti stated, “In Canada and also in Ontario, the largest unclaimed prize is the $70 million Lotto Max prize from the June 28, 2022, draw. The ticket was sold in Scarborough.”

He added, “It’s rare for major prizes ($10,000 or more) to be unclaimed, but it does happen. Most unclaimed prizes are for small amounts.”

All forms of gambling, including the lottery, involve risk and outcomes are based on chance. Individuals are strongly advised to gamble responsibly. If you are experiencing any signs of gambling-related issues, you can find resources here.

This article was first published on Dec. 21, 2024. It has since been updated.