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Lottery winner is "one step closer" to claiming jackpot after review

Irish Mae Silvestre
Irish Mae Silvestre
|
Dec 13 2022, 2:46 pm
Lottery winner is "one step closer" to claiming jackpot after review
JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock

Coming off a holiday high, January might be bleak for many folks, but not for one Ontario lottery player.

After buying an Instant Jackpot ticket, Sault Ste. Marie resident Ashton Roach discovered that he had won $250,000. However, claiming her prize wasn’t going to be as straightforward as it would’ve been for other winners.

According to OLG, since Roach’s mother works for an authorized OLG retailer, her “claim falls within OLG’s definition of an Insider Win.”

“Claims of $10,000 or more made by Insiders require enhanced review and validation as well as a 30-day publication period prior to payment to ensure there are no additional claims on the winning ticket,” stated the release. “It’s just part of our transparency  process to make sure we pay the right rightful winner their prize.”

olg.ca

OLG Spokesperson Tony Bitonti stated that many “insider” releases are sent out each month and are simply part of the prize claim process.

“Anyone that claims a lottery prize but has an affiliation with someone who is considered an OLG Insider, their prize claims take a bit longer as we do our due diligence to make sure the win is legitimate,” Bitonti told Daily Hive in an email.

In this case, he said since Ashton’s mother works for an OLG retail location, it’s considered an “Insider.”

“It doesn’t mean she has done anything illegal,” stated Bitonti. “It’s just her mother works where lottery tickets are sold.”

With the review process over, Roach is “one step closer” to claiming her prize. Pending any additional claims prior to the date, she can look forward to picking up her $250,000 cheque on January 12, 2023.

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