An Ontario Lotto Ticket Worth $10K Will Expire This Month & It's Still Unclaimed
Don't miss out!
Suppose you're a chronic procrastinator with a bad habit of buying Ontario lottery tickets and never checking them. Well, in that case, you might want to head to Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's (OLG) website before it's too late.
According to OLG, 33 major prizes remain unclaimed as of November 15, 2021, with a few of them worth a whopping one million dollars. However, only one of those jackpots will expire this February.
An Encore Lotto Max prize worth $10,000 is scheduled to expire on February 23, precisely one year after the winning ticket was purchased.
OLG gives all players one year to claim their prize before defuncting their tickets. They even send out a press release to the relevant community in the hopes of reminding them to double-check their tickets.
Still, the corporation previously revealed to Narcity that it's rare for tickets worth over $10,000 to go unclaimed, so, where does that leave this ticket?
If you've already begun panic-searching all your pant pockets and winter coats, don't fret — OLG does offer a more convenient way to see if you are a winner.
The lottery company can possibly verify your claim without your ticket via the DART system, which is miraculously "capable of creating a unique historical profile for each of the billions of tickets sold to OLG's customers."
"OLG is using a unique technology called the Data Analysis and Retrieval Technology (DART) system to compile a list of retailers in Ontario who have sold winning tickets of $10,000 or more," a statement on the website reads.
If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, refer to these helplines across Canada. Support is available.