Every year a handful of major Canadian lottery prizes go unclaimed and expire after the one-year window. This page tracks the most prominent expired tickets on record and explains how operators handle the unclaimed pool.
Automatically updated from draw records. Last rebuilt May 31, 2026.
Canadian lottery operators give winners 12 months from the draw date to come forward. Tickets not claimed within that window are forfeited; the funds typically flow back into future prize pools or, depending on the operator, to provincial good-causes allocations.
Below: the most widely reported unclaimed tickets in Canadian lottery history, followed by how each operator handles its unclaimed pool.
Curated from press coverage and operator press releases. Conservative — only widely reported cases are included.
Draw December 28, 2012 · Ontario (Mississauga)· Claim window closed December 28, 2013
A $50 million Lotto Max ticket sold in the Greater Toronto Area was never claimed within the one-year window. Among the largest single unclaimed prizes in Canadian lottery history; OLG returned the funds to the prize pool per protocol.
Draw October 25, 2003 · Ontario (Burlington)· Claim window closed October 25, 2004
A $14.9 million Lotto 6/49 ticket purchased in Burlington went unclaimed. One of the earliest highly-publicized expired wins in the post-cap era and frequently cited as a cautionary tale for ticket-checking habits.
Draw June 30, 2018 · Western Canada· Claim window closed June 30, 2019
A $12.5 million 6/49 prize sold in WCLC territory expired without being claimed. Ticket location was traced to a specific retailer but the holder never came forward.
Maintains the most accessible public list of unclaimed winning tickets, including draw date, prize amount, and the retailer where the ticket was sold. Updated regularly as the one-year claim window approaches expiry.
Publishes outstanding-prize alerts when a major ticket nears expiry. Unclaimed prize funds flow back to the Pools Fund (for Lotto Max / 6/49) or to provincial general revenue.
Issues media advisories for any unclaimed prize over $10,000 nearing the one-year expiry. Recovered funds support BC public-good allocations.
Holds a 12-month claim window like other operators. Unclaimed amounts are returned to future prize pools.
Same one-year window. ALC has historically been less likely than OLG to publish per-ticket unclaimed details, instead reporting aggregate annual totals.