TORONTO -- When an Ontario man won $10,000 playing encore in Lotto 649 he could hardly wait to tell his wife.
"We were pretty excited because it meant a lot for us because we are retired," Barrie man Bob Deere told CTV News Toronto.
Deere bought a Lotto 649 ticket on Sept. 30 and his numbers came up for encore, which gave him the $10,000 prize.
Because of COVID-19, Deere was told to fill out a lottery prize declaration form and send it in, but after more than two months of waiting he still hadn't received his money.
"We waited and we waited. I called about six times and every time I got the same answer from them. It was very, very frustrating and I couldn't do anything about it because they were in the driver's seat," Deere said.
Due to the pandemic, the OLG Prize Centre has had to limit in-person prize claims. Winners are being asked to send in forms by mail, which has led to delays.
"OLG has modified its operations to best serve our customers while adhering to mandatory public health protocols for COVID-19 prevention,” OLG said in a statement to CTV News Toronto.
The spokesperson added that "some claims with missing information may take longer to process to guarantee we are paying the right prize to the right person every time."
Deere was told he had filled out the wrong declaration form which also led to a delay, and as soon as he filled out the right one he got his cheque for $10,000.
"I got it today! Purolator knocked on my door and I thought it was light, but it was an envelope with a $10,000 cheque in it," Deere said, who added "My wife and I are very happy."
Deere says he and his wife plan to buy new kitchen appliances with their winnings.
If you win a prize it's best to go to OLG's website to get instructions on what to do. Winners are asked to be extra patient because of COVID-19.
