Man claims $1M lottery winnings from ‘group arrangement’ for himself: police

The Ontario Provincial Police say a man is facing charges after allegedly claiming $1 million in lottery winnings for himself, despite being part of a group that won the prize.

On July 2, police said a man claimed a million dollar Lotto Max Free Play ticket with Encore “as a sole claimant” and got his payout from OLG.

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OLG’s forensic investigation unit then received and reviewed claims suggesting the winnings were actually from a group play arrangement, police said.

The case was then turned over to OPP and the joint investigation “confirmed the ticket was part of a group arrangement.”

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“The winnings should have been shared among three individuals, not a single person,” police said.

A 70-year-old from Toronto was arrested and charged with theft over $5,000, fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime.

The accused was released and has a court appearance scheduled for January.

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