Upping the Auntie in fight over $1.2M win
Woman says nephew doesn’t deserve winnings
HALIFAX— A Nova Scotia woman at the centre of a family feud over a $1.2-million lottery win is staunchly defending her bid to keep her nephew away from his share of the jackpot — even though each of their names are on the winning ticket. Barb Reddick and Tyrone MacInnis each won $611,319.50 from a Chase the Ace lottery in Margaree Forks, N.S., on Wednesday night, though Reddick insists the full amount — $1,222,639.00 — is rightfully hers.
The dispute unfolded in front of television cameras during a celebratory photo op Thursday — a visibly angry Reddick told reporters that she intended to take her 19-year-old nephew to court.
Reddick, 57, said she sent MacInnis money to buy $100 worth of tickets and told him to put his name on them for “good luck.”
“Yeah he was lucky, but not for half a million dollars,” Reddick told TV reporters on Thursday night. She said Friday that there was no discussion about splitting any winnings.
“I’m not being greedy,” she said from her home in Guysborough. “Tyrone’s like a son to me. I bought Tyrone everything … and he wanted big-ticket items.”
Reddick said MacInnis — who lives in Glace Bay, N.S. — doesn’t deserve the money, saying she recently bought him a car and sent him cheques every month to help cover his college expenses. She said she was waiting to hear from a lawyer. MacInnis could not be reached for comment, but a family friend said in a Facebook message that she was saddened by the situation, describing the young man as a “great guy.”
Chase the Ace is a fundraiser that has grown in popularity in recent years in Canada. Typically, the funds from weekly ticket sales are divided into three parts — organizers keep half, the winner of that week’s lottery takes 20 per cent and 30 per cent goes into a progressively growing jackpot.
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia’s Alcohol, Gaming, Fuel and Tobacco Division said if names are listed on a winning ticket, the agency expects the lottery licensee to split the prize equally amongst those named.