One winning ticket for Lotto Max Christmas jackpot

The jackpot for next Friday’s Lotto Max draw will be approximately $32 million.

If you bought a Lotto Max ticket in Mississauga for Friday’s $60-million draw, you could be in for a late Christmas gift.

Now, a Maple Ridge man claims the prize should rightfully be his.

George Wilson-Tagoe says in a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court this week that he purchased the ticket from a gas station on his way to work on March 11, 2014.

He said he noticed an “unusual string” of numbers – 3, 4, 5, and 7 – among the computerized quick picks on the second or third lines, but lost the ticket soon after, possibly accidentally throwing it in the trash.

The allegations contained in Wilson-Tagoe’s lawsuit have not been proven in court. He was told days later his ticket was not a victor.

When the winning numbers were drawn, Wilson-Tagoe claims he recognized the immediately.

BCLC plans to defend the case and says the Mayrhofers received their check after an exhaustive investigation.

“Throughout this process BCLC was guided by maintaining the integrity of the lottery system, which we uphold by ensuring prizes are paid to the right people”, she said. It was sold at a Shoppers Drug Mart in Langley.

Officials said the reason for the delay was that the Mayrhofers had tried to claim the prize anonymously through a trust, something the BCLC ultimately determined couldn’t be allowed for the sake of transparency.

This isn’t the first lawsuit launched over the $50-million jackpot.