An 18-year-old depanneur clerk in Quebec City will not be getting a $50,000 Mini-Loto jackpot after all.
Ariane Turgeon-Marcotte had claimed she held the winning ticket — telling the media earlier this week Loto-Quebec wasn't paying out, because she didn't have a proof of payment.
She told QMI that her boss allowed her to run a tab for snacks and lottery tickets and she'd pay later.
Her boss, Sylvain Chabot, told the media outlet that her story wasn't true — that the ticket was not listed on her tab.
Turgeon-Marcotte had "a frank discussion" with Chabot, according to the Journal de Québec about the affair, with her entire family present. It ended with Turgeon-Marcotte quitting her job at Tabagie Rapido in the Vanier section of Quebec City, her tearfully admitting her lie and withdrawing her claim with Loto-Quebec — and the $50,000 prize ultimately going to Chabot, the rightful owner of the ticket.
Loto-Quebec says the whole affair is a reminder that lottery tickets must be paid for immediately and that store employees must take an extra step and keep their proof of payment.
-CJAD 800's Trudie Mason contributed to this report.