Canadian Lottery Winner Who Cannot Cash His Jackpot

Multi-million dollar prize winners usually make interesting lottery stories. But in Canada a $25,000 winner has been in the news. He has not yet been able to claim his prize because he does not have an acceptable ID.

In July this year, Steve Borik, a 57 year old homeless man living in Vancouver, won $25,000 off an $8 Lotto BC Keno ticket. Unfortunately the lottery company says that it cannot cash the ticket because the rules prescribe that a photo ID has to be produced by the winner as proof of identification. And Borik does not have any at the moment. He claimed that he was going through a tumultuous time during the last few years, in which he lost his ID. Since he did not need it till now, he did not bother to take suitable action. Borik has now been informed that to get a new ID he will have to produce a birth certificate from his hometown of Montreal. He does not have that and cannot get one without some form of identification. So he is caught in a vicious circle.

When Borik won the lottery, he thought that he would buy a house so that he would have a home by Christmas. But as things stand he will have to spend the cold Canadian winter on the streets. Borik is sensitive to the misery of others like him. He said, “If I’d got my ticket cashed today, I’d give a thousand dollars to the Gospel Mission to help other homeless people.”

There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel for Borik. CBC News was apprised of Borik’s troubles and has decided to throw its weight behind the homeless winner. They began making calls to provincial and federal ministries in the hope of finding a way for Borik to acquire the photo ID required to claim his big prize. The news agency ultimately got in touch with an office that assists homeless people get their birth certificates. Borik has completed the application formalities and sent the documents to Quebec. He is waiting for the receipt of his birth certificate, which should take approximately three weeks to arrive. He will then be able to get a formal photo ID and will get his $25,000 lotto jackpot from the BC Lottery Corporation. This will enable him to afford a home and also give him the courage to reach out to his estranged family.

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