Leamington man officially receives half of $6M Lotto 6/49 winnings
Remaining $3M in dispute by ex-girlfriend, who said she was kept in the dark about win
The saga continues over who’s entitled to a $6-million payout on a Lotto 6/49 ticket purchased in Chatham — but now one of the claimants is officially in possession of half of the winnings.
As agreed upon with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Maurice Thibeault — now described as a Leamington resident — picked up a prize cheque for $3,073,361 on Thursday.
But the remaining $3 million of the payout is still in dispute, with Thibeault’s ex-girlfriend Denise Robertson maintaining her claim that she deserves it after living with Thibeault in Chatham for more than two years.
Robertson’s lawyer has argued that Thibeault tried to keep Robertson in the dark about the lottery win in order to have the entire $6 million for himself.
The ticket was one of two that won the Lotto 6/49 draw of Sept. 20 — splitting a $12-million jackpot.
According to Robertson, Thibeault moved out of their shared residence without warning on Sept. 25.
Thibeault quit his job at a granite company the same day.
Robertson said in an affidavit that she and Thibeault used to talk about what they’d do if they won the lottery together — buying muscle cars for each other and building their own auto shop.
The OLG said Thibeault received his cheque on Thursday because the prize claim review had been completed and it was verified that Thibeault purchased the winning ticket at the Lucky 7 Variety store at 393 McNaughton Ave. W., in Chatham.
The OLG acknowledges that the remaining half of the winnings are in dispute.
The money will be paid into court on Jan. 15, unless Thibeault and Robertson resolve their situation privately, or they go through the Alcohol and Gaming Commission’s lottery dispute arbitration process. According to the OLG, the prize claim review process is in place “to ensure OLG pays the right prize to the right person.”
The odds of winning a Lotto 6/49 jackpot are one in almost 14 million.