The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation has paid half of the $6.1 million Lotto 6/49 prize to a man during a dispute with his former live-in girlfriend over the other half.

Maurice Thibeault, 46, collected his cheque for $3,073,361 at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto on Thursday. The winning ticket is from the Lotto 6/49 prize from the Sept. 20, 2017 draw.

OLG completed its prize claim review of this lottery ticket and verified that the ticket in question was purchased by Thibeault, a Chatham man, who now lives in Leamington.

His ex-girlfriend Denise Robertson claims Thibeault told her a Lotto 6/49 ticket was not a winner before moving out of their Chatham home. She apparently caught wind of the situation when she found out, through mutual friends, that he had quit his job.

“I think given the facts that we have, she is entitled to half,” says her layer Steve Pickard.

OLG will seek to pay the other half of the prize, which is in dispute, into court on or about Jan. 15, 2018 unless the parties resolve the matter privately or choose to take part in the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s lottery dispute arbitration process.

OLG’s prize claim review process is in place to ensure OLG pays the right prize to the right person. OLG is committed to protecting customers and maintaining the fairness and integrity of lottery games in the Province of Ontario.  

The winning ticket was purchased at Lucky 7 Variety on McNaughton Avenue in Chatham.