The mysterious winner of a $50 million B.C. Lottery ticket is fighting to keep his or her name out of the spotlight.
Seven weeks after the ticket was turned in -- and nearly a year after it was originally purchased –- the winner is refusing to do a public cheque ceremony, which the B.C. Lottery Corp. says is a contractual obligation.
The Lotto Max ticket was purchased in Langley, B.C., and submitted just before a March deadline that would have voided the winnings.
The B.C. Lottery Corp. has so far declined to name the winner, and there have been no interviews on the subject. Winners are usually brought out during a news conference.
Adding to the intrigue, Gayleen Elliott, a Shoppers Drug Mart employee, filed a lawsuit last year alleging that a co-worker was concealing the winning ticket, which was purchased for an office pool.
But the accused insists that he simply forgot to purchase tickets for the pool that week.
The lawsuit is still underway, and, as of last month, Elliott's lawyer said that he was in contact with the lottery corporation and the matter was being investigated.
