Canadian claims $40 million just hours before ticket deadline

The holder of a Lotto Max ticket bought nearly a year ago in Ontario managed to claim the C$40 million prize just hours before midnight, when it would have expired. The OLG is not disclosing the winner's name and is verifying lawful ownership of the ticket.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 29 October 2026 at 12:442 min read

The key facts

The C$40 million ticket was bought on 28 October 2025 in Grey County, Ontario, and presented hours before the deadline
OLG is verifying lawful ownership; the name has not yet been disclosed
About 1% of prizes go unclaimed each year

Prize claimed on the very last day

The holder of a C$40 million (about £21.4 million) Lotto Max ticket came forward to claim the prize just hours before it expired, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) said. The ticket was purchased on 28 October 2025 from a retailer in Grey County and was due to expire at midnight on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. OLG's director of media relations Tony Bitonti told the BBC that the ticket was verified through a lottery terminal.

Who the winner is — still unknown

OLG is not naming the winner and said it has contacted them to confirm lawful ownership of the ticket. 'If lawful ownership is established, OLG will hold a winner celebration and share the winner's story with the media and the public as part of our disclosure process,' the company said in a statement. The winning numbers were 06, 14, 17, 19, 26, 43, 45 with a bonus number of 27.

Why the ticket was searched for for nearly a year

OLG spent almost a year searching for the ticket's owner. The corporation noted that Grey County, which includes Blue Mountains and Owen Sound, is a popular tourist destination, so the ticket may have been bought by a visitor who forgot to check it. Bitonti earlier on Wednesday told CTV News that the 'sad part' is that the ticket was never checked, either in the OLG app or in a store. The lottery urged players to check coat pockets, bags, backpacks, wallets and car glove compartments. Had the deadline passed, the C$40 million would have gone back to the lottery for future draws.

Unclaimed prizes are not uncommon

Big prizes have gone missing in Canada before: on 28 June 2022 someone in Scarborough, Ontario, won C$70 million in Lotto Max, but the winner never came forward — according to OLG, around 2,700 people called and wrote in about the ticket, and none turned out to be the winner. According to Bitonti, about 1% of prizes go unclaimed each year, usually smaller amounts. Last week, an Alberta resident won Canada's largest-ever jackpot of C$90 million; the winner's name has not yet been disclosed.