Canadian lottery officials say they’ve finally awarded to the correct people a 2003 multimillion-dollar jackpot that authorities say was fraudulently claimed by a lottery retailer’s relative.
Seven men who played Canada’s Super 7 lottery together in December 2003 were awarded a $12.5 million jackpot plus $2.35 million in interest after being declared the rightful winners, the Toronto Star reported. Each will receive $2.1 million.
“It’s a little surreal,” one of the men, Joseph Reaman, 35, of Ridgeville, Ontario, said at a news conference introducing the winners, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. “I got a baby on the way, and he’s pretty much set for life.”
The correction comes after three members of a family - two of whom worked for a Burlington, Ontario, lottery outlet – were charged last year on suspicion of stealing the winning ticket, according to the CBC.
An investigation by lottery officials and provincial police revealed that one of the seven rightful winners bought a Super 7 ticket at a store in October 2003 in St. Catharines, Ontario. The buyer redeemed the ticket later at the outlet in Burlington and wasn’t told that he won a free ticket, investigators determined, according to the CBC.
That ticket went on to win a $12.5 million jackpot. It was claimed by Kathleen Chung, sister and daughter of men who worked at the outlet.
A lottery investigator learned that Chung was a relative of retailers Kenneth Chung and Jun-Chul Chung, but the lottery paid her because it couldn’t prove wrongdoing, the CBC reported.
After the CBC’s “Fifth Estate” program profiled Chung – with Chung claiming not being able to remember where she bought the ticket - provincial police investigated the case and determined that the outlet didn’t give the free ticket to its rightful owner, leading to last year’s charges, which include theft and fraud, according to the CBC.
Further investigation led authorities to determine the prize belongs to the seven men who were awarded Thursday. The men were co-workers in the construction business in 2003, the Star reported.
“After more than seven long years, the right prize is going to the right people,” a beaming Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission chair Paul Godfrey said Thursday, according to the Star.
The Chungs are free on bail as they await trial, the Star and the CBC reported.
Proving once again, there's no such thing as free tickets in life!
Oh, wait. There is...congrats to the winners, and kudos to the Canadian lottery program for awarding the interest!
And an EXCELLENT JOB, WELL DONE to the investigators who located the rightful winners.
Unlike the corrupt, lazy and useless civil servants running the Ontario Lottary Corporation (a disgrace) the Canadian corp seems up to snuff. But you never know.
Okay. I dont get how all of you are failing so bad at this. People saying the dog years thing. 1 human year = 7 dog years. you are all comparing a 10 year old dog to a 70 year old human. That means if a baby was born, and got apuppy, the dog would be ten by the time the human was 70. Do you see somethign wrong with that math?? Dogs age 7 years to our 1 year. thats why dogs average pass away around 12-14 years and thats about 84-98 years old for a pup!
Too many comments here about how to properly gage a dog's age,and which country is better than the other.This story is about the common criminal activity that can occur at lottery retail sales outlets,-and in this case inparticular,where justice has prevailed.CHECK YOUR OWN TICKETS PEOPLE!-Check them online,in the newspaper,television reports,and some outlets have ticket scanners YOU can use.
CNN's link said "Lotto winners wait dog year for jackpot". It seems to me, this is more than 49 dog years.
I know a dog year would be less than two months or 1/7th of a year.
Yeah, they're not so bright at CNN.
Ok for the math challenged that think CNN made a mistake: The truism that every year of a dog's life is equal to seven years of a person's life yields ages for dogs that are comparable to the same life stage in a person. A dog that is 10 years old is nearing the end, just as a person near 70 (with some people living quite a ways past that, just as a few dogs do). So to wait a dog's year would be to wait 7 years, exactly what happened in this case.
One human year= 7 dog years. So that means if they waited 7 years to get the awarded money they actually waited 49 dog years. So Jkillian might want to think that over.
Johnny, you are correct, 1 human year = 7 dog years, 7 human years = 49 dog years.
JKillian's math is evidence of why the Chinese are slowly replacing us as the world's economic leader.
they waited a dog year= if they were a dog it was 7 years. Boy you people don't even know what a metaphor is!
You guys are terrible at match. It is one dog year.
dog feet smell like fritos
wow, dumbest people on the planet, CNN says they waited a dog year, which is 7 years, OMG is it so hard for you to comprehend that?
I know this seems a bit complicated for those who are dumb. Here is the breakdown.
A human lives to 70 years = a dog lives to 10 years : 1 Dog year = 7 Human years
If you do the opposite (CDogg) 1 year = 7 dog years so 7 human years = 49 dog years by the end of the human life (70 years) the dog would have lived 490 years according your calculation so please learn your basic math skills before making fun of those smarter than you.
Can't believe you people would actually post your ignorance. 1 dog year IS 7 human years. They waited a dog year means they waited 7 years . . . because they're actually human. Dummy's
You all need to forget about math. Instead, learn some English. During a calendar year, a dog ages the equivalent of what a human would over 7 years. Therefore, a "dog's year" refers to 7 years of human aging. "Dog years" are a unit of time equal to two months.
To Math 101 : Okay. I dont get how all of you are failing so bad at this. People saying the dog years thing. 1 human year = 7 dog years. you are all comparing a 10 year old dog to a 70 year old human. That means if a baby was born, and got apuppy, the dog would be ten by the time the human was 70. Do you see something wrong with that math?? Dogs age 7 years to our 1 year. thats why dogs average pass away around 12-14 years and thats about 84-98 years old for a pup!
Math 101: How many dogs do you know have lived 70 EARTH years? Forget about human vs dog years, because you all are failing at that concept. A "human" year is the time it takes the Earth to revolve around the sun ONCE.
Dogs age 7 times as rapidly as a human being, and thus live 1/7th as long.
If a dog lived 70 EARTH years, then yes, they would have lived the dog equivalent of 490 years, and basically just be bones. But no dog has ever come anywhere near close to that–which is why ANYONE who has owned a dog has had to deal with at least one dog passing away.
Please use basic logic at least once in your day: you'll be amazed how smart people think you've become.
there is no such things as dogs... or dog years. CNN made a mistake
Hey km.....You're terrible at SPELLING! It's "MATH."
JeeeeZ!
"Lotto Winners Wait Dog Year for Jackpot" I clicked because I was confused. What is that, a little less than two months? Does that qualify as headline material? One 'human being year' is seven dog years, no? So one dog year... I don't mean to be a stickler, but cross-multiplication, it's the real deal!
A dog's year, that apostrophe indicates the year belongs to the dog (possessive). Now I assume you are a human not a dog, so if a dog sees a year pass, how much time has passed for you as a human? Seven years.
You have it backwards, JKillian. Now shoosh.
@JKillian Re: "if a dog sees a year pass, how much time has passed for you as a human? Seven years." Dude, are you on drugs? LOL
What if said dog is born prematurely on leap day?
If a dog see a year pass. a human sees 1/7th of a year pass. ya dig?
To all Math Wizard...I read "dog years" in the article no more. Maybe Jason has altered it for your convenience.
@JKillian...you hit it on your first post but I could hardly believe how you terribly missed on the second. Your second post has just completely contradicted your first.
Simple Math: 1 dog year was referred to the "average" life span of most ordinary breed. Don't be a genius to compare it with humans coz it's immaterial and has nothing but less relevance.
Hey, my dogs feet still smell like fritos!
I know! My dogns feet too. Why is that?
That's odd, my dog only smells when she wakes up from a nap, and then, she always smells like buttered popcorn. LoLZ
I for one thought that the lotto winners were dogs.. booo!!!
Hey, my dogs butt still smell like fritos!
your dog call and said that you need to get your nose out of his butt
To the one's that were confused with the "Lotto winners wait dog year for jackpot" headline and left comments trying to incorrectly correct it with stupid math. YOU ARE ALL BLEEPING IDIOTS!!! One dog year is equivalent to seven years. The winners waited seven years to claim their prize, thus they waited one dog year.
why even use the term dog year if they only live up to around 2 dog years?
They didnt wait seven years to CLAIM their winnings either, they WAITED that long to recieve it. So before calling everyone Bleeping Idiots take a look at your own comment before clicking "Post"
You really need to take some comprehensive lessons. This people didn't "waited" 7 years to claim the winnings, they waited 7 years to receive it. Dumb Yankee.
One dog year is not seven years. One year is 7 dog years. Go back to grade school.
Sweet.!.!.! french fries and mayo for all... .
Actually, up here we have cheese curds and gravy with fries (Poutine). Way to win, eh?
Money is everything.
Think again ...it's Nothing unless you make it your god ...like the USA < they just Print it ..no backing just raise TAXES..lol IDIOTS...try Putting a Moral Rudder into this SEWER CALLED AMERICA
I think Canadians feel the need to insult the US mainly so we don't forget that they are still there. It's Ok. We accept you as a quasi-relevant country. Now, get on with your life.
@Jimmy – I think the world knows the US can make a complete a33 of theirselves without any help.
So Jimmy, why do you feel the need to insult Canada?
Oh greed can do some ugly thing. Curse the hell out of you, "relative".
The Chungs should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It should also include pain and suffering. Check to see if they are legal citizens and after their prison sentences are finished, boot them out of the country.
who cares about how many years a dog year is!!!im jealous they won all that money!!!wish it was me:-];-)
I love canadians their like people in the u.s. Were back in the 1950's too cool 🙂
see Collateral Murder ...real story Reuters News Media and children Murdered before your very Eyes and EXPLAINED
unless you want to know about the US soldiers who Murdered Afghan Civilians for Sport ...they are on trial but shh your not supposed to know
FU and this is your sign, ..l..
Yes. Tragic incidents. Unfortunately that's a side effect of war and taking a stand in the world, but Canadians wouldn't know much about that. You're too busy passing judgement and sitting on your lazy pseudo-French asses to make an impact on the world...any impact at all.
Let's not forget the Canadians gave us the great movie "Strange Brew".