ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The Atlantic Lottery Corp. promises that winning one of its popular games will allow you to "Live your dreams to the MAX."
But someone in a small community near St. John's, N.L., narrowly missed that chance when they forfeited a Lotto Max ticket worth a whopping $30 million.
Jennifer Dalton, a spokeswoman for the corporation, said Thursday that someone decided not to buy a Lotto Max ticket after walking into the Corner Store in Goulds last month.
The person asked for a ticket but returned it to the clerk, who followed company procedures and voided it -- only to find out days later that it was for the jackpot.
"When we found out about it, there was a little disappointment for sure," Dalton said.
"Having a $30-million jackpot winner here would have brought great things for us and it would have been really great for us to celebrate."
Dalton said they discovered what happened after checking the winning numbers against all tickets, including those that had been voided.
She said there are 52,000 voided tickets every month in Atlantic Canada, but she didn't know of one with such a hefty prize.
A woman working at the convenience store Thursday said the cashier had accidentally printed a $27 ticket and voided it when the customer said they had wanted one worth about $10.
"We're very sorry for the person," said the woman, who didn't want her name used. "No one has come forward."
Dalton said the loser, or almost-winner, could take another run at it this Friday when the jackpot will be $50 million.
