Battle Continues Over $33 Million Lotto Max Win
The battle over a $33 million Lotto Max windfall will probably come to an end next week after a court rules on the rightful winner.
When Matt Hayduk from Edmonton checked his $6 quick pick Lotto Max ticket, and found that he was a winner, he thought that all his dreams had come true. Hayduk discovered that he was in line to take home $33 million, one of the largest sums given away by the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC).
However, as part of the standard practice to investigate big wins, the WCLC began reviewing the circumstances of the ticket's purchase - and that's when Hayduk's problems began.
Suddenly, six other people came forward and claimed that they were actually the rightful winners, and demanded the money for themselves.
"Lost the Ticket"
One person challenging Hayduk's win, for example, Dharminder Jonal, said that he believed that he had bought the ticket but subsequently "lost" it in a friend's vehicle.
Another man, Ted Baltoussen, said that had bought two tickets and when he went to check if they were winners, the clerk dropped one before putting it through the scanner, and he believes that the clerk switched a dud ticket for the winning one when he did so.
However, legal analysts believe that Baltoussen's claim is false, after video footage shows no sign of the ticket being dropped.
After a judge threatened the six claimants - excluding Hayduk - with jail sentences if it was found that they were lying to the court, all except one, Baltoussen, dropped their claims.
It is believed that the case could come to an end next week after a court sees all the information and makes a final ruling - unless one of the last standing claimants backs out at the last minute.
