Argentine Gambler’s $2 Bet Wins Him $1 Million, Car, and House


Posted on: July 27, 2023, 08:19h. 

Last updated on: July 27, 2023, 08:19h.

Telekino is an Argentina’s lottery which is popular for a good reason. A lucky player recently won almost $2 million, along with a house, a car, and other prizes. However, the winner almost missed out on claiming their 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 over $1.8 million, along with a house, a car and other prizes. (Image: Pagina 12)

Officials from the Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos (IPLyC) have confirmed that someone successfully matched the winning numbers in the draw on July 2. According to Crónica, the top prize for this draw was ARS500 million (US$1.8 million), along with a house, a car, and trips within Argentina and Europe.

Since there is a lot at stake in the lottery, the window for claiming a Telekino prize is relatively short. The winner, who reportedly spent less than ARS600 (US$2.00) on their ticket for the July 2 draw, managed to beat the deadline by a few hours.

Nerve-Racking Wait

The IPLyC cannot disclose the identity of the lucky winner, as they have chosen to remain anonymous. The reason for the delay in coming forward is still unknown, but it caused stress for all parties involved.

The IPLyC will withhold approximately 30% of the prize money for taxes. By not claiming the prize sooner, it was uncertain whether the full amount or only 30% would be kept.

In addition, the store that sold the winning ticket receives a 1% share. In this case, that amounts to about $18,350 as an unexpected summer bonus. However, if the winner never comes forward, the store will not receive anything.

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

The game involves a draw of 15 balls out of 25 to determine the winners of cash prizes. The grand prize is won by matching all 15 numbers. The draw takes place weekly on Sundays, and the prize pool varies based on previous winnings.

Lottery Winners Like To Procrastinate

Lottery winners often take a long time to claim their prizes, or in some cases, they never claim them at all without any clear reason.

In April of this year, another Telekino player won ARS100 million (US$366,966). However, because they never came forward to claim the prize, the money went back to the lottery.

In London, Ontario, someone has been holding onto a CAD10,000 (US$7,500) ticket since July 30, 2022. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) has been waiting for the winner to come forward, and time is running out.

If the winner doesn’t claim their prize by this Saturday, the money will be returned to OLG. All prizes must be claimed within a year, or they will expire.

While this prize is significant, it pales in comparison to the losses suffered by another lottery player in Canada. They matched the winning numbers in the Lotto Max lottery in June 2022 but never claimed their CAD70-million (US$53.1 million) prize.

In some cases, winners may not even realize they have won. In a recent Powerball drawing with a $1-billion prize, a woman claimed to be the winner, creating a media frenzy.

However, it was later discovered that she had lied because she wanted attention. Due to the frenzy, other players may have mistakenly thrown away their tickets, believing they were losing tickets. This could lead to a media frenzy of a different kind.



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