Lottery officials: Rightful winners of '03 jackpot getting paid
January 27th, 2011
11:14 PM ET

Lottery officials: Rightful winners of '03 jackpot getting paid

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.

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Filed under: Canada • Crime
soundoff (300 Responses)
  1. rich

    Forget the dogs give us the money

    January 28, 2011 at 8:38 am | Report abuse |
  2. FuriousGeorge

    glad you dog year dolts could grasp the intent of the article

    January 28, 2011 at 8:42 am | Report abuse |
  3. mpwrr

    From the name that was used by the thiefs it would appear that they are not native Canadains. One would think that deportation would be in order after they are found guilty and sent to prison for a while as well as having all assets confisgated by the Canadian Governemnt. If this is not done then it only encourages others, natural born Canadains, and others to try such a scam all over again. I congratulate the legal system for being able to straighten this mess out and get the winnings to the rightful owners of the ticket and identifying the cheats.

    January 28, 2011 at 9:02 am | Report abuse |
    • Becky

      Huh? By their last name, you think they appear to not be native Canadians?? What name would you consider to be native Canadian?? That makes absolutely no sense. Nowhere in the article does it say they aren't Canadian citizens ...

      January 28, 2011 at 9:46 am | Report abuse |
    • Bob

      And what would you think to be an appropriate 'native Canadian' name? Aqlukkak? Chief Dan George? Smith? Jones? LaPierre? What?

      January 28, 2011 at 4:32 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Dog gon it!

    So... do you think the writer of the article tried to secretly make a joke with dog and koreans? just sayin...

    January 28, 2011 at 9:02 am | Report abuse |
  5. elmac

    lets hope lotto officials everywhere consider actually monitoring retailers. supposedly they do, just seems so much

    January 28, 2011 at 9:03 am | Report abuse |
  6. Duh

    Why are you all talking about dogs! The article is about the lottery? Anyways. They do not deserve the money. That is so stupid. So what they snooze and they lost. Its your responsibility to ensure your tickets are redeemed properly. Wow, I am going to go into a store and if someone wins I will sue them simply because someone else got the ticket I shouldve won. They sound like a bunch a low IQ dummies. Their money will be gone in no time. That money will be gone before that kid is 3.

    January 28, 2011 at 9:07 am | Report abuse |
    • CrazyCanuk

      In Canada, you can't just sue because of a sliver. There was a criminal investigation and they were deemed the rightful owners. I am unclear as to how you think they should be punished because someone else stole from them. I hope you turn in your winning ticket and get scammed. Karma baby.

      January 28, 2011 at 11:02 am | Report abuse |
    • kickstand

      So if I steal your car out of your driveway tonight, you're cool with that because you were sleeping? You know, "snooze you lose"?

      January 28, 2011 at 3:38 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Bemused

    wth are you people talking about? I swear we've all got ADD.

    January 28, 2011 at 9:11 am | Report abuse |
    • lol

      squirrel?!?!? where?

      January 28, 2011 at 9:31 am | Report abuse |
  8. mpwrr

    OK, who said that CNN hired the brightest reporters around? I hear nothing and see no hands raised. I guess CNN doesn't actually hire bright people, just those that jump to conclusions, make mistakes, amd lean to the far right.

    January 28, 2011 at 9:11 am | Report abuse |
  9. mpwrr

    Amyone that takes the lump sum is only asking for trouble. At least with a yearly payout you get money for life, like a retirment plan. Even if you can't control your own spending at least you have something come in each month for the rest of your life other than bills.

    January 28, 2011 at 9:14 am | Report abuse |
    • I need $

      The lump sum is the best way to take you're money, a dollar today is always worth more than a dollar tomorrow

      January 28, 2011 at 10:54 am | Report abuse |
  10. Anthony Herrington

    Man... I gots to get paid!!

    January 28, 2011 at 9:17 am | Report abuse |
  11. Freddie

    Dog years are based on an overall "average" of 7 years. Look it up.

    January 28, 2011 at 9:21 am | Report abuse |
  12. Dixie Normous

    if they were Koreans..they would have ate the dog and got the money sooner..

    January 28, 2011 at 9:22 am | Report abuse |
  13. MATH MAJOR FSU

    If they waited a "dog year" that would be 7 years ...because 7 years = a "dog year"

    January 28, 2011 at 9:27 am | Report abuse |
    • MATH MAJOR FSU

      Although if my "dog waited" 7 years to collect = 49 years my dog waited

      January 28, 2011 at 9:35 am | Report abuse |
    • steve

      if your dog waited 1.7 MONTHS, that would be a dog year. if he waited 12 months, that would be a human year and also 7 dog years. you sir are an idiot.

      January 28, 2011 at 10:30 am | Report abuse |
  14. Seriously?

    People:

    1 year = 7 dog years.
    7 years = 49 dog years.

    1/7 year = 1 dog year.
    7 years = 49 dog years.

    Just so we are clear 7 years = 7 * 1 year (which as stated above is 7 dog years) = 49 dog years.

    CNN has the metaphor backwards as clearly more than half of you do as well.

    January 28, 2011 at 9:34 am | Report abuse |
  15. banasy

    @mpwrr:

    You have ascertained by the defendant's last name that they are not native-born Canadians? Wow. Just wow. Blatant, much?

    January 28, 2011 at 9:35 am | Report abuse |
    • explainer to retards

      Like that was hard to do? Chung....

      January 28, 2011 at 12:57 pm | Report abuse |
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