If you win the lottery, there are certain things you have to do before you can collect your prize, or your payout could be stuck on hold.
A 98-year-old woman was excited to win $1,000 on a scratch-off card, but after waiting over a month to receive her winnings, her son decided to reach out to CTV News to share their story.
According to Brian Burrows, of London, Ont., his mother, Jessie, was told she didn’t have a valid piece of photo ID, and has been unable to claim her prize.
“She’s been disappointed a bit, I can tell. She can’t go out shopping and spend her windfall,” said Brian.
Brian told CTV News that his mother has been frustrated trying to cash in her winning $1,000 scratch-and-win ticket. She hit the jackpot in early April.
“Oh, I was excited. I thought this is terrific. I can pay off my Visa card, but I have had trouble getting it (the winnings),” Jessie said, who added, “When I went to the store to get it, they told me they couldn’t give me $1,000.”
While prizes of $999 or less can be paid out by a retailer if they have the money available, winnings of $1,000 or more are processed through the Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) prize centre.
If you win a prize of over $1,000, to collect it, you must have a valid ID. It can be a driver’s license, a passport, or an Ontario photo card, but it has to be up to date and not expired.
Jessie no longer drives, and her passport is no longer valid.
“Mom had her Canadian citizenship card and her passport. I took a picture of the ticket front and back and of her ID, but they said her passport had expired,” Brian said.
Brian told CTV News he just wants his mother to collect her rightful prize.
“She is a 98-year-old, very law-abiding person all her life, and here she wins $1,000 dollars, and she is still waiting for it,” said Brian.
CTV News reached out to OLG on Jessie’s behalf, and a spokesperson said in a statement, “Mrs. Burrows was declared the rightful owner of the ticket and is being paid her $1000 prize. Mrs. Burrow’s prize claim was started virtually through the OLG.ca Prize Claim Portal.”
“Claims submitted through this portal are typically processed within five (5) business days following a complete submission. If more information about the claim is required, OLG reaches out to the claimant.”
The spokesperson noted that the prize centre team was in communication with Burrows, waiting for some information from her, including a valid ID.
“Because Mrs. Burrows doesn’t live in Toronto and due to her circumstances, the Prize Centre arranged to have OLG Investigators that were near her community visit her at her home, confirm her identity and complete the prize claim,” the statement read.
“From time to time, based on the circumstances of prize claimants, we do have OLG investigators pay face-to-face visits in the winner’s home or at another mutually agreed location in their community to help with the prize claim review process.”
In the end, Jessie received her $1,000 winnings, which was great news for her, and she plans to pay off her credit card bill and maybe try her luck with one more scratch-off ticket.
The OLG also told CTV News it wants to make sure the right person gets their winnings. Along with a valid ID, you may also be asked where you bought a winning lottery ticket.
