A Ridgeway, Ont., woman who perfectly picked the outcomes of 14 NFL football games in an Ontario lottery game finally got her winnings, but it took almost three months.
Jill Brewster received her cheque in the mail for $3,343.20, almost three months after she won a weekly pool game in which she correctly selected 14 out of 14 NFL game outcomes.
Brewster said getting paid wasn’t very straightforward. The problem arose after the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) — which regulates lotteries — said it found the initials “JD” written down and erased on her ticket. Subsequently, the OLG withheld paying and launched an investigation as to who could claim the prize.
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Sometimes, Brewster plays games like these with her brother — whose first initial is D — but not this time, she said.
Brewster contacted Global News after lengthy delays getting the payout and because of frustration with the process.
She said she cooperated with two OLG investigators during several phone calls, and so did her brother — who told the OLG he didn’t have a claim to the prize. Brewster’s brother even drove to the Niagara area from the GTA to make a written declaration.
Tony Bitonti, senior manager of media relations for the OLG, said the lottery organization has a duty to ensure that payouts of any size go to the correct winner. He said the OLG was following procedures in taking time necessary to validate the claim.
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Brewster said an investigator asked personal questions including who she lived with, and the names of other siblings.
“They were harassing me,” she told Global News.
Brewster said she got angry with an investigator a couple of times, and refused to drive from her home to meet an investigator at the casino in Niagara. Brewster insisted the investigator come to her, if she wished.
At another point, Brewster said a female OLG investigator told her, “If you don’t talk to me, you’ll be talking to the RCMP.”
Brewster said she was made to feel like a criminal.
When Global News contacted the OLG, Bitonti said Brewster’s claim had been approved and said her “cheque is in the mail.”
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In fact, the cheque was issued the same day. It arrived in Brewster’s mail box three days later.
“Yes, I’m glad I got it,” she said on Sunday, adding the process took the joy out of the game.
Brewster said she’s learned a lesson out of her experience: don’t write on tickets.
