Class action against Loto-Québec over odds of winning rejected
Woman argued she was never informed of her real chances of winning
A woman who claimed Loto-Québec misled her on her chances of winning a jackpot cannot launch a class action against the provincial Crown corporation, Quebec's Court of Appeal has ruled.
The decision announced Thursday upholds a Quebec Superior Court judgment that also rejected the request.
Lead plaintiff Martha Karras said she had been buying 6/49 lottery tickets for 20 years and Lotto Max tickets since 2012.
She claimed Loto-Québec never informed her of the real chances of winning on its tickets, promotional materials or website.
She said she wouldn't have bought the tickets had she known the odds were so slim.
Karras sought to file a class action on behalf of anyone who has bought a lottery ticket in Quebec since July 2013, asking that Loto-Québec be forced to pay back the profits it generated, as well as $150 million in punitive damages.
Superior Court Justice Pierre Nollet originally rejected the request on the grounds it had no chance of success because the allegations were too vague or were contradicted by evidence — including the fact the odds were printed on the back of tickets and in promotional material produced for the court.