What are the extended deadlines to claim some of the lottery prizes?

June 25, 2020June 23, 2020 Kamal Kaur

Due to Coronavirus lotteries in Canada have extended deadlines to claim some of the lottery prizes. According to OLG Canada, Ontario lottery has added a six-month (183 days) extension for lottery prize claims with an original expiry date from March 17, 2020 up to and including September 17, 2020. This extension applies to all tickets sold through OLG lottery terminals, on PlayOLG.ca and Instant tickets.

Ontario lottery customers’ ability to claim prizes may have been affected by measures taken as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the temporary closure of the OLG Prize Centre. This six-month extension provides these customers the opportunity to still claim their prizes.

Lottery prize claims up to $49,999.90 now accepted by mail

In addition, as the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto remains temporarily closed to the public, OLG wants to continue to provide their customers with a new option to present prize claims. Effective immediately and until further notice, we have increased the limit for mail-in prize claims to $49,999.90.

Normal processing times for mail-in claims are 4-6 weeks to process from receipt of the claim. Due to procedural changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, it may take longer for your mail-in claim to be processed.

If your lottery prize is less than $10,000, you can mail the required items below to the OLG Mail-in Prize Centre. On average, your mail-in prize claim will be processed within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the completed prize payment requirements identified below. If any of these required items are missing or incomplete, the OLG Mail-in Prize Centre will contact you directly to complete them. This may delay the processing of your prize payment.

Mailing Address:

OLG Mail-in Prize Centre
P.O. Box 130
31 Adelaide Street East
Toronto, ON
M5C 2J1

OLG will not mail cheques for lottery winnings to the United States.

OLG will publish information on all lottery wins of $1,000 or more on OLG.ca for a period of 30 days. This information will include the name, city of residence and the prize won for all individuals or groups who are paid a lottery prize of $1,000 or more.

The Prize Centre will mail your cheque via regular mail. If you would like it sent by another method, you need to include the appropriate prepaid courier or postage-paid envelope.

For group claims of $1,000 and more, individual prize cheques will be issued to each member of the group based on the proportion of prize indicated on the Lottery Prize Claim Group List.

Cheques will be sent by mail to the address listed on the Lottery Prize Claim Group List.

To claim a prize of $1,000 or more, you must complete a Lottery Prize Claim Declaration Form. This applies to both single and group play wins. All prize claim documentation must include the claimant’s legal first and last name as shown on the valid government issued identification that will be presented with the claim documentation.

Once received at OLG, winning tickets and tickets that are damaged cannot be returned to the claimant.

No Assignment of Prize Winnings. Prize winnings cannot be assigned, transferred, lent, sold or otherwise directed to third parties by prize winners. For greater specificity, all prize winnings will be paid directly to the prize winner (as determined by OLG).

As part of OLG’s prize payment protocol, OLG reserves the right to subject any person having any involvement with a winning ticket prior to the submission of a prize claim to the same requirements as the person(s) claiming the prize. These requirements may include, but are not limited to, providing valid government-issued photo identification, participating in a face-to-face interview, and completing the “Release of Prize Claim Form“.

You need to have the following documents to get the prize:

Your original signed ticket: Fill in the required information on the front and back of the ticket (print clearly). Do not put additional writing or markings on your tickets as this can increase the time it takes OLG to process your prize claim. Keep a photocopy of your ticket. If you are group winner then the ticket should be signed by the group leader “In Trust” or each group member may sign the ticket.

Your customer receipt: If a retailer has checked your ticket, include the Customer Receipt printed by the lottery terminal.

Your ID proof: A legible photocopy (front and back) of one piece of valid government-issued identification with date of birth. Also a group winner should have a legible photocopy (front and back) of one piece of valid government-issued identification with date of birth for each group member.

Completed lottery prize declaration form: All sections need to be filled out (Parts A, B & C), including where you purchased your ticket. Make sure the form is signed and witnessed. If you can’t print the form from the website, you can call the OLG Support Centre at 1-800-387-0098 and ask for one to be mailed to you. DOWNLOAD SINGLE AND GROUP DECLARATION FORM

For group winners: Each group member must complete the Lottery Prize Claim Declaration Form (Group). All sections need to be filled out (Parts A, B & C), including where the ticket was purchased and by who. Make sure the form is signed and witnessed. The individual who signs this form as a witness should be impartial and have no vested interest in the claim. If you can’t print the form from the website, you can call the OLG Support Centre at 1-800-387-0098 and ask for one to be mailed to you. A completed Lottery Prize Claim Group List with each group member’s legal name, address, postal code, telephone number, proportion of prize and signature. DOWNLOAD LOTTERY PRIZE CLAIM GROUP LIST