Man who won $3.6 million lottery jackpot says girlfriend took the money and ‘ghosted’ him

The couple had been in a ‘committed and promising’ relationship, the man’s lawsuit claims

Krystal Ann McKay and Lawrence Campbell (CTV News)

A man is suing his ex-girlfriend after she allegedly took their joint $3.6 million winning lottery ticket and “ghosted” him.

Lawrence Campbell of Winnipeg, Canada, filed the lawsuit against his ex-partner, Krystal Ann McKay, as well as Western Canada Lottery Corporation and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries in May.

Campbell claimed that he purchased the Lotto 6/49 ticket on January 19, 2024. At the time, Campbell and McKay were in a “loyal, committed and promising” relationship, according to Campbell’s documents viewed by CTV News.

The lawsuit claimed Campbell handed McKay the ticket for safekeeping, as he had lost his wallet. He forgot about the purchase until he found the ticket on the floor at a friend’s house days later.

Campbell scanned the ticket’s barcode on his phone, and “that’s when they found out he won, he couldn’t believe it. He had won the Lotto 6/49 jackpot,” the claim read.

The couple called friends and family to share their news before heading to a nearby Shoppers Drug Mart, where a video was recorded verifying their win of five million Canadian dollars.

According to the lawsuit, someone at the Western Canada Lottery Corporation told the couple that Campbell would not be eligible to collect the winnings because he didn’t have a valid government-issued ID. They were advised to have McKay collect their jackpot on the couple’s behalf.

At a news conference held January 30, 2024, the couple claimed the prize money in a giant check written out to McKay.

“It was really overwhelming, exciting,” McKay said at the time, noting the ticket was a birthday gift from Campbell.

“She had been asking me for three weeks to get a ticket, but I never went and got one,” Campbell added. “Then we drove by one, and I was like ‘OK, I might as well go get you one right now.’”

McKay then deposited the winnings into her account because Campbell didn’t have one.

In the days after the win, the lawsuit alleged McKay didn’t return to the hotel room she and Campbell were sharing.

“(Campbell) states that that day he set out to visit a few of her known spots where she would party and sure enough after some investigation, he found her; in bed, with another guy,” the claim read, per CTV News.

McKay allegedly told Campbell she wanted to end their relationship so she could be with the “new guy,” according to the lawsuit. She then stopped taking Campbell’s calls and answering his messages, blocked him on social media, and took out an order of protection against him, the lawsuit claimed.

Campbell says he was given bad advice by the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, which failed to warn him of the risks of having McKay sign the winning ticket.

McKay’s attorney, Conor Williamson, told The Independent: “Ms. McKay disputes the allegations made against her in the Statement of Claim and will be filing a Statement of Defence.”

The Independent has reached out to the Western Canada Lottery Company and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries for comment.