Canadian lottery winner claims 40 million CAD jackpot before deadline

A Canadian lottery winner has claimed a 40 million Canadian dollar jackpot on the final day permitted for collection. The winner registered the ticket on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, marking exactly one year since the Lotto Max drawing took place on October 28, 2025 [117, 74].

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation reported that the winner submitted the ticket through a lottery machine [117]. The organization is currently in the process of verifying that the individual is the rightful owner of the prize [117]. A spokesperson for the lottery stated that once ownership is confirmed, they will organize a celebration and share the winner's story with the media [117].

The winning ticket was originally purchased in Grey County, Ontario [74]. Because Grey County is a popular tourist destination, there was uncertainty regarding whether the winner actually resided in the area where the ticket was bought [74]. Before the claim was made, the lottery had made several attempts to locate the winner, noting that the ticket had not been entered into the lottery app or checked at a retailer [74]. To assist in finding the ticket, the organization had urged people to check various locations, including pockets, handbags, wallets, and car glove compartments [117, 74].

If the jackpot had not been claimed by the deadline, the 40 million Canadian dollars would have been used for future lottery drawings [74]. While approximately 1% of lottery prizes in Canada are typically not claimed, these usually involve smaller amounts [117, 74]. However, significant sums have gone unclaimed in the past, such as a 70 million Canadian dollar prize in 2022 [117, 74].