The lawyer for a group of Toronto lottery winners whose prize is in dispute says the sheer size of the payout is enough to make others "take a shot" at claiming a portion.
More than $31 million of a massive $50 million lotto jackpot won earlier this year has been paid out to a group of 19 Bell employees, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced on Monday.
Another nearly $19 million was paid to court, where it will be held until a judge decides whether a group of 11 additional claimants is entitled to a share of the money.
Saul Glober, the lawyer representing the group of 19 winners, said he has not seen an official claim from the opposing group, but understands the members are alleging they had purchased tickets with the winning group in the past.
"There is no allegation they purchased this actual ticket, but they had earlier in the year … bought tickets together. Somehow that translates into a partnership for life," he said to CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday.
OLG has a list of suggestions about how to document group purchases and, Glober says, the winning group has kept very clear records.
"I'm not sure what more one can do, but certainly the size of the winnings are encouraging these types of problems," he said, suggesting the size of OLG prizes encourages people to "take a shot" at challenging the results.
"There is very little to lose and everything to gain. There is still $19 million sitting there."
The additional claimants came forward after the original group tried to claim the $50-million prize at the OLG's Prize Centre on January 5.
The OLG has rules that the original 19 claimants are entitled to a portion of the winnings. However, the legal challenge mounted by the additional claimants "is beyond the scope of OLG's prize claim investigation process," the agency said in a statement.
The agency said it was confident the courts would ensure the disputed portion of the prize is paid to the right people.
Group leader Natalie Damianidis said she is "happy with the outcome so far," and said Saturday she stands by her contention that 19 people were on the play list and "19 people won."
