Lottery Love Gone Wrong: Canadian Man Claims His Girlfriend Pulled A Houdini With His Winnings

Love and money don't always go hand-in-hand, especially lottery wins; ask Lawrence Campbell, a Canadian man who claims he lost $3.6 million to his ex-girlfriend.

The Winnipeg resident recently filed a legal complaint against his former lover, Krystal Ann McKay, accusing her of doing a complete 180 after claiming his lottery ticket.

He also sued the Western Canada Lottery Corporation and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries for allegedly influencing his losses.

Campbell filed his allegations against McKay last month, claiming they were in a "loyal, committed, and promising" relationship when he bought himself a 6/49 lottery ticket. He said he made the purchase at the CanCo convenience store on Isabel Street on January 19, 2024.

The Winnipeg man noted he gave the ticket to his then-girlfriend because he had lost his wallet. However, they both forgot about the lottery until he found the ticket on the floor of a friend's home days later.

When Campbell scanned the ticket's barcode on his phone, he discovered he had won the Lotto 6/49 jackpot. Naturally, the news left Campbell and McKay elated, and they rushed over to a nearby Shoppers Drug Mart to record a video of them verifying their win.

The couple believed they were in for a lifetime of happiness, but someone at the Western Canada Lottery Corporation crashed the party with bad news, per CTV News.

Campbell recalled that the person he and McKay spoke to at the Western Canada Lottery Corporation told him he would not claim the money because he lacked a valid government-issued ID. Instead, he was advised to let his then-lover collect the winnings in her name.

Unfortunately, Campbell didn't think much about it, given his blossoming relationship with McKay, and allowed her to collect the lottery jackpot publicly. At the time, she told reporters the lottery ticket was a gift from her boyfriend, and he echoed similar sentiments, noting she asked him to buy the ticket.

Things began going south for Campbell after McKay deposited the $3.6 million into her bank account because he didn't have one.

She allegedly began ghosting him days later until he found her in bed with another man. Once the cat was out of the bag, McKay dumped him and filed a protection order against him.

Unlike Campbell, who allegedly forfeited his win to his girlfriend, thinking he could trust her, his namesake did not take any chances.

In February 2019, a man identified as A. Campbell won the Super Lotto in Jamaica and claimed the $158,400,000 prize in a "Scream" mask.

The man went fully incognito, rocking the slasher horror movie mask with a long coat, pants, and gloves.

Although his face was hidden, he seemed pretty happy posing with the cheque, as seen in pictures shared by CBS News. Campbell was initially AWOL and took 54 days to claim the winning ticket.

When asked why he cut it so close to the 90-day deadline, Campbell revealed the milestone had significantly affected his health. While others went wild with joy over the lottery, he fell ill after overthinking and trying to wrap his head around the once-in-a-lifetime achievement. 

In 2023, celebrity financial advisor Eszylfie Taylor shared essential tips for lottery winners with The Blast. He stressed that one shouldn't become overconfident with their achievement and focus on saving for a rainy day while enjoying their success.

"I tell people to take the amount of money you want to live on on an annual basis, take that number, and multiply that by 20. That would be like your target savings number. As soon as you have that number, then my advice would be not to compromise that," Taylor explained.

The financial advisor noted it was crucial to "integrate some level of safety and predictability" into one's plan and avoid risking it all, as many do when they have a large sum of money.

Taylor believed it was better to live off the interest generated, adding that the goal wasn't how much money one makes but how much one keeps.

Taylor's advice for lottery winners continued with tips on how to save more money instead of blowing it all. He noted that a good supportive environment was key, imploring lottery winners to align themselves with good people and a good team of professionals.

The team should include a good investment advisor, a reasonable attorney, reputable bankers, as well as the ability to utilize the group as a collective effort.Additionally, lottery winners should have a clear set of objectives and educate themselves on investment plans before making decisions, rather than jumping in blindly.

"My whole mantra in working with clients is to make sure they're educated. An educated client can then make their best decisions. Most people don't know the rules of the money game. And you can't win a game if you don't know the rules," Taylor stressed.