Mystery solved: Winning $50M Lotto Max ticket turned in just days before deadline

No winning ticket was purchased for the Lotto Max $50 million jackpot. The draw for next Friday's prize will remain at $50M, with an estimated 30 MaxMillions prizes up for grabs.

A $50-million Lotto Max ticket purchased in Langley, B.C., last year has been turned in just days before the claim deadline.

In a statement on Monday, the B.C. Lottery Corporation confirmed that the ticket had finally been turned in and validated after it went unclaimed for nearly a year.

The purchaser had until the weekend to claim the winnings or the ticket would have been nullified.

The unclaimed ticket made headlines across the province as the public speculated as to why no one was coming forward.

Last year, a Shoppers Drug Mart employee filed a lawsuit, alleging a co-worker had purchased the winning ticket for a workplace pool and was concealing it.

The co-worker has denied the allegation, saying he forgot to buy tickets for that draw.

The lotto corporation said it will provide information about the winner as soon as possible.

“As is the case with all prize claims BCLC will now undertake the verification process to determine the rightful ticketholder,” the agency said.

The BCLC estimates that the winner has missed out on collecting approximately $900,000 in interest by delaying the claim.

With files from CTV Vancouver