Ontario Lotto Max winner days away from losing out on $373,000 prize

A clerk hands a customer their Lotto Max ticket at a gas station north of Newcastle, Ontario on Thursday Oct. 6, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives

Someone in Ontario who won a huge Lotto Max prize – and probably doesn't know it – is just days away from losing the money.

According to the OLG, a ticket, which ended up being worth $373,118.20, was purchased in the April 1, 2022 draw in Scarborough.

The winning Lotto Max numbers in that draw were 07, 10, 18, 29, 38, 43, 50 and the bonus number was 41.

According to Lotto Max rules, players have one year from the draw date to claim their winnings, or the prize expires.

OLG Communications Director Tony Bitonti has previously told CTV News Toronto it's uncommon for a valuable winning ticket to not be spoken for.

Bitonti said unclaimed money will be returned to players through future bonus games or promotions.

He said while there are a number of reasons a winning ticket doesn't get redeemed, it’s usually because it’s been misplaced or forgotten.

"Many tickets are forgotten in kitchen drawers or in jacket pockets (especially when the seasons change). For example, you buy your ticket on a particularly cold spring day and put it in a jacket pocket, but then the weather turns warm and the jacket goes into the closet and the ticket is forgotten," he said.