The ticket was sold in Langley and the winners of the $50 million Lotto Max jackpot are local as well.
Friedrich and Annand Mayrhofer and their son Eric Mayrhofer picked up their prize Tuesday. The $50 million pot was drawn for March 14, 2014. The family’s lawyer presented the winning ticket just five days before the March 2015 prize claim deadline.
Why the delay? The family was wary of the notoriety that comes with such a big win.
“We’re private people,” Frederich told the Langley Advance.
He said they knew this would bring big changes to their lives. The family obtained advisors and signed over ownership of the ticket to a trust.
Once BCLC validated the ticket as authentic, it initiated the prize claim verification process. The trust issue led to a lengthy review requiring the BCLC to consult with the Inter-Provincial Lottery Corporation (ILC), the national organization that oversees Lotto Max across Canada.
In June 2015, BCLC, in conjunction with the ILC, concluded that only an individual or group of individuals can claim a prize, not a trust. Ultimately, in accordance with the ILC and BCLC Lottery Rules and Regulations, BCLC advised the purchasers that the trust was an ineligible prize claimant and therefore, they would need to submit the prize claim as individuals.
In November, the Mayrhofers submitted a prize claim as a group. BCLC was then able to conduct a thorough review of this prize claim, verify the three as the winners. The ticket was purchased at the Murrayville Shoppers Drug Mart.
In its statement announcing the win, BCLC said the purchase of a lottery ticket means the buyer agrees to all that follows from a win, including consent of their name and photo to be made public.
Public interest in this prize has been unprecedented. BCLC received 739 inquiries about this prize.
