Big winners can now claim prizes from OLG
Big money winners can finally collect their cheques from Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation as it reopens its prize centre by appointment only.
The OLG’S Toronto building has been closed to the public since March 17, when the province declared a state of emergency over COVID-19.
Since then, at least 130 ticket holders with wins of $50,000 or more have been waiting to collect their prizes in person. Seven of them are winners of major jackpots totalling $156.5 million — including the owner of a $10million Lotto Max ticket purchased in St. Catharines for the June 19 draw.
The other jackpots include wins of $70 million, $25 million, three $15 million and a $6.5 million.
The OLG allows winners of up to $999.90 to collect their money at lottery retail outlets.
Those with winnings of $1,000 to $49,999.90 can claim their prize through the mail.
But the lottery corporation requires wins of $50,000 or more to be claimed in person to maintain the integrity of its system. Big money winners have to do face-to-face interviews and provide their tickets for inspection.
On Friday, the OLG announced it had reopened the centre with an appointment-only process that will prioritize players who have been unable to claim their prizes since the March 17 closures.
The OLG said to protect the public and its staff, measures have been put in place that include physical distancing, increased cleaning of public and shared spaces, hand sanitizer stations and the mandatory use of masks by customers. In order to accommodate physical distancing, fewer people will be allowed inside the prize centre at any time so appointments are being offered for jackpot and major prize winners only.
Once the OLG has made arrangements to meet with winners of $50,000 or more, it will begin to open up appointments for winners of smaller sums who don’t want to submit them through the mail.
During the prize centre closure, the OLG paid out prizes to more than 5,440 people who claimed their winnings through the mail. The total of those prizes was more than $17 million.