Argentine Lottery Player Wins US$1M, Car, and House with $2 Bet

Posted on: July 27, 2023, 08:19h. 

Last updated on: July 27, 2023, 12:02h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

Telekino is a popular form of lottery in Argentina, and for good reason. A player won almost US$2 million, a house, a car, and other prizes, although he or she almost missed out on claiming the winnings.

TeleKino lottery tickets wait for players to purchase them in a store in Argentina
TeleKino lottery tickets wait for players to purchase them in a store in Argentina. A lucky winner just scored a prize of more than US$1.8 million, along with a house, a car, and other prizes. (Image: Pagina 12)

Lottery officials with the Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos (IPLyC, for its Spanish acronym) confirmed that someone hit the right combination of numbers in the July 2 draw. That, according to local media outlet Crónica, came with a top prize of ARS500 million (US$1.8 million), a house, a car, a trip through Argentina, and another through Europe.

Because there’s much more at risk through the lottery, the window for claiming a Telekino prize is much shorter than normal. The winner, who reportedly spent less than ARS600 (US$2.00) on the purchase of the July 2 draw, beat the deadline by just a few hours.

Nerve-Wracking Wait

The IPLyC couldn’t reveal the name of the lucky winner, as the individual, understandably, wants to remain anonymous. Why it took him or her so long to come forward remains a mystery, although the wait caused stress all the way around.

The IPLyC will keep about 30% of the prize money, which will go to taxes. By not coming forward sooner, the gaming regulator was left in the dark about whether it was going to keep the full amount or just 30%.

In addition, the shop that sells the winning ticket gets a cut – in this case, 1%. That amounts to about US$18,350 as an unexpected summer bonus. If the lottery winner never comes forward, that vendor won’t receive anything.

Telekino is a game of chance offered in the province of Buenos Aires, although it began in the Tucuman province in 1992. The IPLyC bought the rights to it in January of last year.

The game consists of a draw of 15 balls out of 25 to determine the winners of the cash prizes. If someone hits all 15, they win the grand prize. The draw takes place every Sunday, and the prize pool varies, depending on the previous winnings.

Lottery Winners Like to Procrastinate

On more than a few occasions, lottery winners wait a long time to claim their prizes. In some cases, they never show up, although it’s difficult to pinpoint why.

This past April, another Telekino player won ARS100 million (US$366,966). However, because he or she never appeared to make a claim, the money went back to the lottery.

In London, Ontario, someone has been sitting on a CA$10,000 (US$7,500) ticket since July 30, 2022. Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) has been waiting for the winner to come forward, and time is running out.

If he or she doesn’t try to claim the winnings by this Saturday, the money goes back to OLG. All prizes must be claimed within a year or they expire.

While that prize is significant, it pales in comparison with one another lottery player in Canada lost. Someone hit the right combination of numbers in the Lotto Max lottery in June 2022, but never came forward. As a result, he or she lost a CA$70-million (US$53.1 million) payday.

It’s possible that, in some circumstances, the winners never realize they won. In the recent Powerball drawing that resulted in a $1-billion prize, a woman claimed to be the winner, resulting in a media frenzy.

It was later revealed that she had lied because she wanted to be on TV. Because of the attention, though, some players could have inadvertently thrown their lottery tickets in the trash, believing they had lost. That could certainly lead to a media frenzy of a different kind.