The winners of the $50 million Lotto Max ticket, sold in Langley in March, 2014, say they will be continuing with their lives, like normal.
Friedrich Mayrhofer, 67, his wife, Annand, and his son, Eric, have been named as the claimants of the prize – only the second $50 million jackpot in B.C. history.
The family tried to stay anonymous and claim the prize, but that’s against British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) rules.
The winning ticket was presented to officials just days before the one-year deadline to claim the prize was set to expire. It was submitted by Mayrhofer’s lawyer as ownership of the ticket had been signed over to a trust before it was presented. The beneficiaries of the trust were not initially disclosed to the BCLC.
The prize claim review took so long because the ticket was claimed by a trust, which has never happened in B.C. before. In June, 2015, the Inter-Provincial Lottery Corporation ruled only an individual, or group of individuals, can claim a prize, not a trust. As a result, the family had to come forward and consent to their identity being released.
Mayrhofer, who has been married to his wife for 42 years, has three children in total, but only one is named as a claimant of the prize.
“It was completely unexpected, but it was a nice surprise,” he said of the win.
He said they will be investing the money and already have a team of investors picked out. They will also be renovating their home, buying some new furniture and maybe taking a vacation in the sun.
“I’ll just be continuing with my regular life,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Mayrhofer has won the lottery. He won $1,000 about 30 years ago and kept a photo of him with the cheque taped to his fridge. He also won about $3,000 “a number of years ago”, but couldn’t remember the exact date.
“When I claimed the $3,000 I told the clerk at the prize claim counter that I would see her again,” said Mayrhofer, “but I never imagined it would be for a win this size.”
Since it was announced that there was a winning $50 million ticket, there has been a lot of controversy about who won.
In December, 2014, a woman filed a civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court, claiming her co-worker was hiding the ticket that was part of a workplace pool. The BCLC says this claim is not related to the winning $50 million ticket.
The winning numbers were 3, 4, 5, 7, 31, 33, 40, with a bonus of 49. The ticket was purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart, on 48 Avenue in Langley and more than 700 people inquired about the prize since the winning numbers were announced.
“Throughout this process we have been guided by the principle of maintaining integrity of the lottery system – which we uphold by ensuring prizes are paid to the right people and by publicizing winners,” said Jim Lightbody, BCLC president and CEO.
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