A couple from Brampton, Ontario, visited the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) headquarters earlier this week to claim the CAD$ 50 million prize they nearly lost.
Hakeem Nosiru matched all seven winning numbers in the Canada Lotto Max drawing on January 17, 2014. Fearful of losing the ticket he asked his wife Abiola for her purse and taped the ticket to its lining.
The day before they were due to claim their prize the couple visited their local church and realized they'd lost the ticket after all.
The couple tore their home apart looking for the ticket, and even sorted through their trash, but failed to find it.
The Nosirus were miraculously reunited with their ticket on April Fool's Day when a member of the congregation found it inside the church, saw their name written on the back of the ticket, and returned it to them.
Although the ticket was back in hand, claiming the prize still proved to be difficult. Ontario Provincial Police had been alerted to the loss of the ticket and were investigating the matter for the OLG.
The Nosirus finally picked up their prize on Monday, June 2. Speaking about the moment she realized the ticket was gone from her purse, Abiola said, "I had a fly in my stomach and I couldn’t sleep for days. I couldn’t eat. I was devastated."
The next Canada Lotto Max drawing is on Friday, June 13, 2014. The estimated jackpot is CAD$ 10 million.
