How long you have to claim a lottery prize in each part of Canada

The short answer, corporation by corporation

Lotteries in Canada are run by five corporations, and each publishes its own claim rules. For draw games such as Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49, the rule is the same everywhere: the clock starts on the draw date printed on the ticket, not the purchase date. Instant and scratch products are where the rules diverge. The table below uses only what each corporation states on its own site; where a corporation does not publish a figure on the pages cited, the cell says so.

Ontario: OLG

OLG’s claim page says terminal-printed tickets can be claimed for exactly one year from the draw date, while INSTANT prizes can be claimed until the expiry date printed on the back of the ticket. Only prizes of less than $1,000 can be redeemed at a retailer. Above that, a winner can claim online, where OLG says claims are typically processed within five business days, or by mail to the OLG Prize Centre, P.O. Box 130, 31 Adelaide Street East, Toronto, ON M5C 2J1. Winners who cannot use the online claim can call 1-800-387-0098 to book a Prize Centre appointment.

OLG separates its games when it comes to money nobody collects. Unclaimed prizes from national games go back into prize funds for future bonus draws and promotions. Unclaimed prizes from games sold only in Ontario go back to the province as OLG proceeds, which OLG says support priorities such as health care and education. Players who use Ontario’s regulated online market as well as retail lottery can find more on the province on our Ontario page.

Quebec: Loto-Québec

Loto-Québec’s claim page states that for draw games “le délai de réclamation est d’un an à partir de la date de tirage inscrite sur le billet”: one year from the draw date printed on the ticket. Scratch tickets do not follow a single rule. Each product has its own last claim date, listed in a deadline table that Loto-Québec updates.

Where you claim depends on the amount:

• $600 or less: any Loto-Québec retailer.
• $600.01 to $1,999.99: online, at a claim centre (some by appointment) or by mail.
• $2,000 to $24,999.99: online, at a centre with identification, or by mail with the claim form and a copy of ID.
• $25,000 to $50,000: online, or at a centre by appointment at 1 866 611-LOTO (5686), Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• $50,000.01 or more, annuity prizes, and draw entries or TV-game prizes: by appointment only, at the same number.

Mailed claims go to Loto-Québec, C.P. 7777, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal (Québec) H3C 4L4. Loto-Québec says mail claims take about 20 business days, compared with up to five for online claims. Its unclaimed-prize status page gives a worked example: a Lotto Max prize from the draw of May 1, 2026 can be claimed until May 1, 2027. The same page says unclaimed prizes are used to pay bonus prizes to players.

British Columbia: BCLC

BCLC’s PlayNow site says lottery winners have up to 52 weeks from the draw date to claim, and after 52 weeks the prize can no longer be claimed. According to the same article, unclaimed money is given back to players through BCLC bonuses and promotions, and the largest unclaimed jackpot in the province’s history was $15 million.

BCLC’s in-person claim page sets out three tiers. Retailers pay up to $2,000. Regional Prize Payout locations pay up to $24,999.99, but claims from $10,000 to $24,999.99 are processed only Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prizes of $25,000 or more must be claimed by appointment at BCLC’s Kamloops or Vancouver offices, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. These prizes are paid by cheque, and BCLC says to allow about three hours. Online claims are accepted from $200 to $24,999.99 with one piece of government photo ID. BCLC’s prize line is 1-866-815-0222. More on the province is on our British Columbia page.

Prairies and the North: WCLC

The Western Canada Lottery Corporation runs lotteries for its member provinces and territories. Its site links to AGLC in Alberta, Sask Lotteries, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, Lotteries Yukon, and the NWT and Nunavut lotteries. WCLC’s claims FAQ says Daily Grand, Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49, Western 649, Western Max, Poker Lotto, Extra, Keno and Pick 2, 3 and 4 tickets expire one year from the draw date. Sport Select tickets expire one year from the date the last selected game was played. Scratch tickets expire on the date printed on the back.

All claims of $10,000 or more require a winner interview and a photo. Like OLG, WCLC treats national and regional games differently. Unclaimed national-game prizes go back to players through guaranteed jackpots and bonus draws, and unclaimed regional-game prizes go to the member provinces and territories as revenue. WCLC Player Care is 1-800-665-3313.

Atlantic Canada: ALC

Atlantic Lottery’s claim page states that “expiry dates for Scratch’N Win tickets are printed on the reverse of the ticket and other lottery games expiry dates are one year from the draw date”, and that ALC will not honour expired tickets. Retailers pay prizes of $250 and under, and some retailers pay up to $500 or $999. Prizes from $250 to $24,999 can be claimed at any Scotiabank branch in Atlantic Canada or at ALC’s head office in Moncton. For $25,000 or more, the winner calls 1-800-561-3942, and ALC requires winners at that level to allow publicity.

Claims up to $1,000 can be mailed to PO Box 5500, 922 Main St., Moncton, N.B., E1C 8W6. For more than $1,000, ALC asks winners to email [email protected] first, and it says mail claims take six to eight weeks. ALC’s own blog adds two details the claim page does not cover. Sports wagers can be claimed for 744 days from purchase, and most Scratch’N Win prizes have no expiry date, although some carry a fixed one. Because the two ALC pages put scratch expiry differently, the date printed on the ticket is the one to rely on. See also our pages for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Where unclaimed prizes go

On the pages cited, every corporation sends unclaimed money somewhere specific. National games such as Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 are pooled across the country, so their unclaimed prizes go back into national prize funds, bonus draws or guaranteed jackpots. ALC notes that national games are administered by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. Prizes from games sold in only one region are handled locally. OLG returns them to the Ontario government, WCLC pays them to its member jurisdictions, ALC puts Atlantic-only prizes into a special prize fund, and Loto-Québec and BCLC put them toward bonus prizes and promotions. For a player, the practical point is the same everywhere: once the window closes, the prize is gone. Loto-Québec also publishes a claim-status page that lists draw-game prizes of $100,000 or more still unclaimed a few weeks after the draw. Each entry shows the administrative region, the winning selection and the last date the prize can be claimed.

What to do before a deadline passes

1. Note the draw date on every ticket. The one-year window, or BCLC’s 52 weeks, runs from that date, not from the day you bought the ticket.
2. Check scratch tickets for a printed expiry date. In Quebec, also check the product in Loto-Québec’s deadline table.
3. Keep the ticket flat, dry and readable. Every claim route described above starts with the ticket itself.
4. Work out which claim route applies: retailer, prize office, mail or appointment. The amounts that trigger each route differ by province (see the table above).
5. Bring the identification each corporation asks for. BCLC asks for one piece of government photo ID for online claims, and Loto-Québec asks for ID at a claim centre from $2,000 and a copy of ID with mailed claims in that range.
6. For prizes that need an appointment, book early. In British Columbia and Quebec the top tier cannot be claimed by walking in.
7. If you hold an old Quebec ticket, check Loto-Québec’s list of unclaimed prizes of $100,000 or more before the year runs out.

A lottery ticket is a purchase, not a savings plan. If buying tickets or chasing jackpots has stopped feeling like entertainment, our responsible gambling page lists provincial help lines; in Ontario, ConnexOntario is at 1-866-531-2600.