OLG lotto winner

Ontario resident sat on hefty unclaimed lottery jackpot for two weeks

One very lucky Ontario resident didn't realize she had won a major Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) prize for two full weeks after being notified of the win.

Julie Leidecker of Lanark Highlands, Ontario, is a faithful lottery player with 25 years of weekly draws under her belt. But for someone so dedicated to gaming, you'd think they would be more aware of their results.

The 53-year-old healthcare worker had won nearly $250,000 as a second prize in the Dec. 14 Lotto 6/49 draw and was notified of her jackpot through an email — that went unchecked for 14 days.

"It said, 'We have big news' and when I opened it, I saw I won $249,324! I couldn't believe that was sitting in my email for two weeks!," Leidecker told the OLG in Toronto while picking up her novelty cheque.

Now she plans to pay off some important bills like her car payment and mortgage while saving the rest for future retirement plans.

"This feels amazing! This year will be eventful and better than ever," she said.

Leidecker isn't the only recent lotto winner to not realize they had won for some time, including $60 million winner Camellia Talachi who didn't claim her jackpot for weeks.

Remember folks, probably the most important part of playing the lottery is checking to make sure you won the jackpot!

Lead photo by

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation 


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Doug Ford just got even tougher on Ontario bike lanes with new measures

Toronto's $27 billion Ontario Line just crossed its biggest construction milestone so far

Rare Canadian gold coin sells for over $1.5 million

Toronto ranked among the top 100 best cities in the world for 2025

A full list of all the items included in Canada's holiday GST cut

Liquid soap sold at stores across Canada recalled due to contamination

Canadians to get GST cut on groceries and new $250 rebate ahead of holidays

Snow is finally coming to southern Ontario and here's when it will hit