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Woman faces fraud charges over claim to $70-million lottery ticket

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A North Bay woman allegedly made a fake claim for a $70-million dollar Lotto Max lottery prize and was arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police. An OPP logo is shown during a press conference in Barrie, Ont., Wednesday, April 3, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Ontario Provincial Police say they have arrested a women who allegedly made a fake claim for a $70-million Lotto Max ticket.

Police say they cannot confirm that the woman was seeking the prize for a $70-million unclaimed lottery ticket sold in Toronto's east-end in June 2022. 

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation say that ticket was officially declared unclaimed today, making it the largest unclaimed prize in Canadian lottery history. 

OLG says nearly 2,700 people made claims for the prize, but none were identified as the legitimate holder of the winning ticket.

OPP say its investigation into the 33-year-old woman was initiated by information provided by OLG, ultimately leading to her being charged with attempting fraud over $5,000, forgery and uttering a forged document.

Police say she is scheduled to appear before a North Bay court at a later date, but could not comment further on her alleged offences. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2023.

The Canadian Press


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