A man who won $50 million in a lottery refused for two years to claim his prize because he wasn’t sure how his family would handle having so much cash.
Friedrich Mayrhofer, 67, of Vancouver, Canada, won the lottery in 2014 but didn’t come forward until just before the ticket was due to expire this week.
The Hamilton Spectator said Friedrich and his family were ‘private people and were concerned about becoming local celebrities.’
They were identified only after their lawyer stepped up to collect the winnings just days before the ticket expired.
Friedrich never wanted to be identified but the president of the lottery corporation, Jim Lightbody, said anyone who buys a ticket is required to consent to their name, photograph and the amount of the prize being published if they win.
“This has been a very unique situation for all of us involved, let alone the winners,’ he said.
Friedrich told a press conference: “Money is nice, but the priority is my family.’
He and his wife have been married for 42 years and have three children and an undisclosed number of grandchildren. They’ve lived in the same house for 36 years.
Friedrich and his family have lost around $500,000 in interest by not claiming the prize earlier.
Weirdly, Friedrich told reporters that he still plays lotto, and in fact has tickets for this week’s draw.
