What are the extended deadlines to claim some of the lottery prizes?
If you’re holding a winning lottery ticket and thinking about delaying your claim, it’s important to reconsider. In Canada, there is no flexibility when it comes to the claiming deadlines for lottery prizes. Each ticket comes with a clearly defined expiry date, typically one year from the draw date, and once that period passes, the prize is forfeited.
Currently, Canadian lottery corporations do not allow any extensions on claiming periods, regardless of the circumstances. The only exception to this policy occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when select lotteries temporarily adjusted deadlines due to widespread disruptions. That was a unique situation, not a precedent.
If you’re curious about those rare extensions during the pandemic, you can refer to the official updates and archived notices in the article linked below. But as of now, the rule is clear: If you miss the deadline, the prize is gone.
When was the extension on claiming period was offered?
In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian lottery corporations decided to give players more time to claim their winnings.
This was because of strict public health rules like lockdowns, social distancing, and the closure of prize claim offices. For example, the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto was temporarily closed, making it hard for people to collect their prizes.
To help players, a six-month (183-day) extension was offered for tickets that were set to expire between March 17, 2020, and September 17, 2020. This meant if your lottery ticket was going to expire during that time, you got six extra months to claim your prize.
The extension applied to all kinds of tickets, whether they were bought from a store, online, or were instant scratch cards. It was a one-time decision made during a difficult period, and it was meant to support players affected by the pandemic.
Since then, there have been no further extensions, and regular deadlines are now back in place.
Which Lotteries Were Affected?
The extended claim deadlines in Canada were only available for a specific window of time. If your lottery ticket was set to expire between March 17, 2020, and September 17, 2020, then it was eligible for an automatic extension.
In this case, players were given an extra 183 days, or about six months, beyond the original expiry date to claim their prize.
This extension applied to a wide range of lottery games and ticket types.
- Draw-Based Games – Popular games like Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49, and Daily Grand were all included. This also covered regional draws such as Ontario 49 or BC/49. Whether the ticket was bought at a retail outlet or online, it qualified for the extension if the expiry date fell within the eligible period.
- Scratch Cards (Instant Games) – Instant-win tickets, often called scratch cards, were also part of this policy. Many players who bought these physical tickets from stores had trouble reaching claim centres during lockdowns, so the extension applied to them as well.
- Online Tickets – If you bought your ticket through official lottery websites or mobile apps, you were also covered. Tickets purchased on OLG.ca, PlayNow.com, and other provincial platforms received the same extension automatically.
- Across Different Provinces – This policy wasn’t limited to just one area. It was applied nationwide by major lottery corporations. That includes OLG in Ontario, BCLC in British Columbia, and WCLC in Western Canada. Each of them confirmed the extension publicly and adjusted their systems to accept prize claims beyond the regular deadlines.
To sum it up, if your ticket expired during the height of the pandemic in 2020, there’s a good chance it was covered by this temporary extension.
Consequences of Missing Claim Deadlines
If you win a lottery prize in Canada but don’t claim it on time, you lose the prize. The rules are strict, and all provinces follow them.
Main Consequences:
1. You Lose the Prize
If you don’t claim your prize within the allowed time, you forfeit it.
- For draw-based games, most provinces give you 1 year from the draw date.
- For instant games (scratch cards), the expiry date is printed on the ticket.
2. No Exceptions for Being Late
Even if you forgot or didn’t know you won, you still can’t claim the prize after the deadline.
- For example, in British Columbia (BCLC) and Ontario (OLG), once the deadline passes, your ticket is worthless.
3. The Money Goes Back to the Lottery
Unclaimed prize money doesn’t stay with the lottery company.
- It usually goes back into future prize pools.
- In some cases, like charity lotteries, it may be kept in trust for a short time and then used to support the cause.
4. No Refunds or Replacements
If your ticket expires, you don’t get a refund or a different prize.
- The only exception is if the ticket has a printing or system error caused by the lottery itself. In that case, you might get your money back – but not the prize.
Lottery prize claims up to $49,999.90 now accepted by mail
In addition, as the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto remains temporarily closed to the public, OLG wants to continue to provide their customers with a new option to present prize claims. Effective immediately and until further notice, we have increased the limit for mail-in prize claims to $49,999.90.
Normal processing times for mail-in claims are 4-6 weeks to process from receipt of the claim. Due to procedural changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, it may take longer for your mail-in claim to be processed.
If your lottery prize is less than $10,000, you can mail the required items below to the OLG Mail-in Prize Centre. On average, your mail-in prize claim will be processed within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the completed prize payment requirements identified below. If any of these required items are missing or incomplete, the OLG Mail-in Prize Centre will contact you directly to complete them. This may delay the processing of your prize payment.
Mailing Address:
OLG Mail-in Prize Centre
P.O. Box 130
31 Adelaide Street East
Toronto, ON
M5C 2J1
OLG will not mail cheques for lottery winnings to the United States.
OLG will publish information on all lottery wins of $1,000 or more on OLG.ca for a period of 30 days. This information will include the name, city of residence and the prize won for all individuals or groups who are paid a lottery prize of $1,000 or more.
The Prize Centre will mail your cheque via regular mail. If you would like it sent by another method, you need to include the appropriate prepaid courier or postage-paid envelope.
For group claims of $1,000 and more, individual prize cheques will be issued to each member of the group based on the proportion of prize indicated on the Lottery Prize Claim Group List.
Cheques will be sent by mail to the address listed on the Lottery Prize Claim Group List.
To claim a prize of $1,000 or more, you must complete a Lottery Prize Claim Declaration Form. This applies to both single and group play wins. All prize claim documentation must include the claimant’s legal first and last name as shown on the valid government issued identification that will be presented with the claim documentation.
Once received at OLG, winning tickets and tickets that are damaged cannot be returned to the claimant.
No Assignment of Prize Winnings. Prize winnings cannot be assigned, transferred, lent, sold or otherwise directed to third parties by prize winners. For greater specificity, all prize winnings will be paid directly to the prize winner (as determined by OLG).
As part of OLG’s prize payment protocol, OLG reserves the right to subject any person having any involvement with a winning ticket prior to the submission of a prize claim to the same requirements as the person(s) claiming the prize. These requirements may include, but are not limited to, providing valid government-issued photo identification, participating in a face-to-face interview, and completing the “Release of Prize Claim Form“.
You need to have the following documents to get the prize:
Your original signed ticket: Fill in the required information on the front and back of the ticket (print clearly). Do not put additional writing or markings on your tickets as this can increase the time it takes OLG to process your prize claim. Keep a photocopy of your ticket. If you are group winner then the ticket should be signed by the group leader “In Trust” or each group member may sign the ticket.
Your customer receipt: If a retailer has checked your ticket, include the Customer Receipt printed by the lottery terminal.
Your ID proof: A legible photocopy (front and back) of one piece of valid government-issued identification with date of birth. Also a group winner should have a legible photocopy (front and back) of one piece of valid government-issued identification with date of birth for each group member.
Completed lottery prize declaration form: All sections need to be filled out (Parts A, B & C), including where you purchased your ticket. Make sure the form is signed and witnessed. If you can’t print the form from the website, you can call the OLG Support Centre at 1-800-387-0098 and ask for one to be mailed to you. DOWNLOAD SINGLE AND GROUP DECLARATION FORM
For group winners: Each group member must complete the Lottery Prize Claim Declaration Form (Group). All sections need to be filled out (Parts A, B & C), including where the ticket was purchased and by who. Make sure the form is signed and witnessed. The individual who signs this form as a witness should be impartial and have no vested interest in the claim. If you can’t print the form from the website, you can call the OLG Support Centre at 1-800-387-0098 and ask for one to be mailed to you. A completed Lottery Prize Claim Group List with each group member’s legal name, address, postal code, telephone number, proportion of prize and signature. DOWNLOAD LOTTERY PRIZE CLAIM GROUP LIST
Unexpired lottery prizes claims of $50,000 or more may be made once the Prize Centre is re-opened.
OLG will advise the public when the Prize Centre will re-open, taking into account guidance from public health authorities.