Winnipeg man sues former partner over $5M winning lottery ticket

CBC

23-05-2025

A lawyer for a man who says his former girlfriend "ghosted" him after claiming a $5-million prize on a lottery ticket he bought will be in a Winnipeg court Friday, asking a judge for an order to prevent the woman from giving away any of her money or selling other assets.
Lawrence Campbell's lawsuit says he bought the winning 6/49 ticket at a convenience store on Isabel Street in Winnipeg the day before the draw and handed it to his then girlfriend, Krystal McKay, who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, because he had recently lost his wallet.
She claimed the multimillion-dollar prize in the Jan. 20, 2024, draw, though Campbell alleges he alone purchased the ticket, and as its sole owner, "is entitled to restitution in the full amount" of $5 million, according to his lawsuit.
"No one in all of history has simultaneously been a jackpot winner and jackpot loser of the same draw, with the same numbers, on the same ticket," said Campbell's lawyer, Chad Panting, in a statement to CBC News on behalf of his client.
Campbell was "in a loyal, committed and promising romantic partnership" with McKay at the time, and shared many things with her, including a home and family, says the statement of claim filed May 14 in Court of King's Bench at Winnipeg.
The day after the lottery draw, Campbell scanned the ticket using the Lotto 6/49 cellphone app and discovered it was a winner.
Plaintiff denies ticket was birthday gift
The next day, and again on Jan. 30, 2024, Campbell and McKay went to the office of Western Canada Lottery Corporation, the non-profit corporation that manages various lotteries for several provincial and territorial governments, including Lotto 6/49.
According to the lawsuit, an agent at WCLC led Campbell to believe that because he didn't have valid-government issued ID, he "would be ineligible and unable to claim the winnings," and said he should allow McKay to publicly claim the winnings.
McKay then deposited the $5 million into her bank account, "as she was the only named winner on the ticket" and Campbell didn't have an active bank account, the court document says.
Campbell trusted McKay with the lottery ticket and gave her permission to claim herself the winner of his ticket "on the understanding that she would hold the winnings, in trust, for his benefit," the claim alleges, until he got a valid government issued photo ID and set up adequate banking arrangements.
A Jan. 30, 2024, news release issued by Western Canada Lottery Corporation and Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries announcing the win said that McKay received the lottery ticket as a birthday gift from her partner.
In his statement of claim, Campbell denies that the ticket was purchased "solely as a birthday gift" for McKay.
Following the lottery win, the couple were staying in a hotel room after the lottery win, but one night, McKay did not return, the suit claims.
He searched places where she was known to go and party, and "after some investigation, he found her, in bed, with another guy," the lawsuit says.
McKay later said she wanted to end her relationship with Campbell "to be with this new guy," according to the lawsuit.
She then "used the resulting conflict between them as a pretext to effectively deprive the plaintiff from access to his rightful monies," the lawsuit alleges.
It says McKay "ghosted" Campbell, refusing to take his calls and blocking him on her social media accounts, and even took out a protection order against him.
CBC was unable to reach McKay for comment.
Lottery corporation, Crown corporation sued
The lawsuit also names the Western Canada Lottery Corporation as a defendant, saying Campbell "relied on ill-gotten and negligent advice from the defendant WCLC agents to permit … [McKay] to claim the money as the sole winner, and unlawfully keep the lotto monies all to herself."
The lawsuit also names Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corporation, the Crown corporation responsible for gaming in the province, as a defendant.
Neither responded to a request for comment.
The allegations in the lawsuit have not been tested in court and the defendants have not filed statements of defence.
A motion before the court on Friday seeks an order to restrain McKay from selling or gifting anything of value, including money, investments, vehicles or real estate.
"We understand how unbelievable parts of his story are, believe us," said the statement from Panting, the lawyer representing Campbell.
"Mr. Campbell did not personally feel very good, as he slowly realized that the trust he had with all three defendants was misplaced and violated," the statement said.