Lawsuit launched over $50 m lottery jackpot

A British Columbia man is taking the province’s lottery agency to court, saying he is the rightful winner of a $50 million jackpot handed out this month.

George Wilson-Tagoe says in a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court this week that he purchased the ticket from a gas station on his way to work March 11, 2014.

He says he scanned the ticket, noticed an unusual pattern, and then lost it, possibly throwing it in the trash with old tickets. The allegations contained in Wilson-Tagoe’s lawsuit have not been proven in court.

Angela Koulyras, a spokesperson for B.C. Lottery Corporation, said the agency will be filing a defence against the allegations.

The agency awarded the massive prize to Friedrich Mayrhofer on Dec. 15, nearly two years after the March 2014 Lotto Max draw. Mayrhofer said the delay in coming forward was because they wanted to remain anonymous out of concern they wouldn’t be able to handle such an enormous prize. A lawyer for the family tried to claim the prize on behalf of a trust, just days before the ticket was to expire.

After a review, B.C. Lottery Corp. president Jim Lightbody said, they determined only a person could make the lottery claim and anyone who buys a ticket is required to consent to their name, photo and the amount of the prize being published when they buy a ticket.

The BCLC received 739 inquiries about the winning ticket