Winner claims prize while excluding two co-players from winnings
By Kate Northrop
TORONTO, Canada — A Canadian man was accused of claiming a $1 million Lotto Max prize without including two other lottery players who were part of a group play arrangement.
A Toronto man presented a winning $1 million Lotto Max lottery ticket to the Ontario Lottery (OLG) as though he were the sole winner, but there were two other players who argue they were owed a share of the prize.
Alex Parucha, 70, was arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and charged with one count each of theft of over $5,000, fraud of over $5,000, and possession of property obtained by crime, authorities announced in November.
On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, Parucha brought in a winning Lotto Max Free Play ticket with Encore to the Lottery, valid for a $1 million prize, and claimed it as the sole winner.
OLG paid out the prize and broadcasted his win in a winner's story on Aug. 12, announcing that he had matched all seven Encore numbers in the May 20, 2025 draw.
"I won a free play, so I went to the store to claim it," Parucha had said in an OLG press release at the time he collected the prize. "When I handed my ticket to the cashier, she asked me if I wanted to add Encore to it, so I said, 'Sure, why not?'"
He checked the ticket the following day and was in "disbelief."
"I double-checked my ticket and counted the zeroes," he continued. "When I realized it was a $1 million prize, I was overwhelmed."
The winning story from OLG described Parucha as a dedicated lottery player of nearly 30 years and said he planned to use the winnings to buy property, share with family, and add to his savings.
"Being a winner is a very emotional experience," he explained in the OLG press release. "It's brought a lot of disbelief, happiness and excitement. I feel so fortunate to have won this prize."
The OLG Forensic Investigation Unit received and reviewed claims suggesting the winnings may have resulted from a group play arrangement, OPP said in a recent statement.
In September, OPP launched an investigation alongside OLG and the Investigation and Enforcement Bureau.
"After reviewing claims suggesting lottery winnings paid to a claimant may have resulted from a group play, OLG's Forensic Investigation Unit referred the case to the Ontario Provincial Police Investigation and Enforcement Bureau, and an investigation was launched, and charges were laid," OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti told CTV News Toronto.
The Ontario Lottery maintains a "robust process with many levels of scrutiny and transparency" while validating prize claims, OLG said in a statement to the news outlet.
The investigation "confirmed that the ticket was part of a group arrangement," OPP revealed. "The winnings should have been shared among three individuals, not a single person."
Parucha has since been released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.
He "categorically denies" all allegations and charges laid against him, Parucha's lawyer relayed in a statement to CTV News Toronto, alleging that the dispute over the prize money involves "complex facts" that will be addressed in court.
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I 'm guessing that because it was from a "Free Play" ticket,
that his co-players may not have noticed that it matched all 7 digits for the top prize.
(And you must match all 7 digits)
Any winnings from the original ticket should be divided 3 ways ,including any winnings from the free play ticket.
But why be greedy when you play as a group all the time
Maybe he'll argue that he played the Encore on his own and that they don't normally play it.
Not sure if the group plays the Encore regularly or not.
Just a guess,
I'm curious what his argument or defense is
oops Alex need to share.
* The article says the win " may have resulted from a group win" That a lot of maybes.
* What's the rules when it comes to pools? Is one prohibited from purchasing any tickets outside the pool?
"Any winnings from the original ticket should be divided 3 ways ,including any winnings from the free play ticket. "
That's absolutely true, but ...
""When I handed my ticket to the cashier, she asked me if I wanted to add Encore to it, so I said, 'Sure, why not?'" "
I don't know what Encore is, except that it's an extra cost add-on that offers other/more ways/chances to win. If the plain vanilla free ticket wouldn't have won then his decision to buy the Encore option is the reason the ticket was a winner.
"Maybe he'll argue that he played the Encore on his own and that they don't normally play it. "
If the group didn't regularly play it that will definitely be his argument. The big mystery is how that will work, since the free ticket Encore was added to belonged to the group. At the least, I suspect that would change it from a criminal issue to a civil dispute.
LOL!
You raised some interesting views there my friend but I think claiming a prize from off of the winnings of the Encore play and not saying a word to his fellow participants imho is just str88 up greed. Plain and simple!
Now at his age and stage in life look at all the drama and publicity he has put himself through for a lousy third of the prize pool. What I'm wondering is whether or not his "friends" had a copy of the original ticket with the encore number printed on it and they not noticing that it was a winning ticket hence his making the claim as the sole winner
Btw here in Ont Encore is a prng seven digit number that one can add to their number selections for ALL online game at an extra cost of $1. There are 22 prize categories paid out depending on how many numbers you have matching on your ticket and prize amount starts as low as $2 dollars.
For further info you can log on to www.olg.ca.
Peace!
Down wit. OPP, yeah u know me
That's my story and I'm sticking with it 😂
#proveit
All about Encore.
https://www.olg.ca/en/frequently-asked-questions/lottery-games/encore.html
If you ever run a pool you make copies of the tickets and hand out the copies to the participants before the drawing. That way it avoids any problems if someone wins with a ticket that they bought for themselves outside of the pool.
Like the Bible says, "The love of money is the root of all evil."
If I was the judge in this case, i'd award his 2 partners each with 40% of the winnings and I would award him with the remaining 20 percent.
"All about Encore. "
Sounds like Encore is essentially a completely separate game but you can only buy it when buying a ticket in another game. If that's the case it sounds like the group's free ticket didn't win anything, but the Encore add-on the guy paid for himself won a prize. In that case I'd say the guy did nothing legally wrong unless the group always buys Encore when buying a ticket. If they don't there's may be a reasonable argument that he should have consulted them about adding it to the free ticket that belonged to the group but it's an argument about ethics, not legalities.