Winning millions on the lottery is a life-changing event for most, but for Joel Ifergan, a seven-second error altered everything.
On 23 May 2008, shortly before the 9pm cut-off, Joel visited a convenience store in Quebec, Canada, to purchase tickets for that evening’s Lotto Super 7 draw. Pressed by the shop assistant to hurry, Joel thought he had successfully bought two tickets before the deadline; the lottery terminal’s clock showed 8.59pm. However, only one ticket was processed in time.
The second ticket was recorded on the Loto-Quebec website seven seconds after the deadline, making it valid only for the following week’s draw. Unfortunately for Joel, this second ticket would have won half of the substantial C$27 million jackpot (roughly £14 million). Instead, the entire jackpot went to another winner.
Joel points out that in the rest of Canada, lottery ticket sales close strictly at 9pm, and customers cannot buy tickets after that time. Nonetheless, any purchase initiated before 9pm is processed, and a ticket issued even if it prints after the deadline.
Determined to challenge what he saw as an injustice, Joel, an accountant, pursued legal action. Both the Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal ruled against him, leading to a lengthy seven-year battle through the Canadian courts. The Supreme Court of Canada ultimately dismissed his appeal. Joel estimates he spent around £53,000 fighting his case.
He said: “I’m really disappointed in the decision, and it’s not because it’s about the money. It’s a question of fairness. A transaction initiated before 9pm should be honoured.”
He added: “Yes, it cost me a lot of money, but it also consumed me for seven years. My crusade is up, I’ve done all I can, I spent enough money going to the Supreme Court.”
A spokesperson for Loto-Quebec, Jean-Pierre Roy, said he was satisfied with the Supreme Court’s ruling: “The original judgment was clear and convincing that Loto-Quebec procedures were altogether reliable and integrated and were the right ones.”
The convenience store owner who sold Joel the tickets, Mehernosh Iranpur, stated that Joel understood the second ticket was for the following week’s draw.
This case underscores the importance of timing and procedure in lottery ticket sales and how a mere seven seconds can make a life-altering difference.