Canadian Man Sues Ex Over Stolen CA$5M Lottery Jackpot

What could go wrong when you trust someone with an outsized CA$5 million check? A lot as one man in Canada recently found out. The person had won CA$5 million from the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) but couldn’t claim the ticket himself.

Man Wins CA$5M, Girlfriend Elopes with Another Man and Takes Money

So, he asked his girlfriend to do it on his behalf, with the WCLC’s knowledge and direct advice. The case dates back to early last year when the man, who has now filed a lawsuit and has been identified as Lawrence Campbell of Winnipeg, bought the winning ticket on January 19, 2024.

After finding out he had won, he approached the lottery, but was not able to claim the prize initially because he did not have a government-issued ID, which led the WCLC to advise him, according to the plaintiff’s lawsuit, to ask his then-girlfriend to claim the prize for him instead.

She did, but their romance quickly turned sour. Since Krystal Ann McKay, the girlfriend, now had legal rights over the jackpot, her feelings for Campbell disappeared in thin air. Campbell allowed McKay to not only claim the prize but also deposit it into her banking account, since he didn’t own one as well.

Both McKay and Campbell were present at the award ceremony, which documented his win. Several days after they claimed the prize, McKay disappeared, leaving Campbell in a hotel. Campbell started looking for McKay, out of concern for her safety, the lawsuit said, and he eventually found her having an affair with another man.

Bad Romance

McKay then confronted Campbell and said she was leaving him for her new partner, obtaining a protection order against him in the end. Campbell has attacked McKay in the lawsuit over her misappropriation of the money, but also targeted the WCLC and the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries for offering him what the complaint argues has been bad legal advice.

This makes sense given that most lotteries always advise against people picking prizes on behalf of others, as they have repeatedly cited concerns over money misappropriation. Whether Campbell’s suit succeeds is now anyone’s guess, but he does have a degree of legal recourse, as to how the money was won and claimed is now public record.