MONTREAL — Quebec's Court of Appeal has ruled that a woman who claimed Loto-Quebec misled her on her chances of winning a jackpot cannot launch a class action against the provincial Crown corporation.
The decision announced today upholds a previous Quebec Superior Court judgment that also rejected the request.
The 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-Quebec never informed her of the real chances of winning, either on its tickets, promotional materials or website. She said 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-Quebec 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 that 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.