A Toronto man who claimed a $1-million lottery prize has been charged with keeping the winnings for himself instead of splitting it with a shared group of buyers.

Alex Parucha, 70, has now been in two provincial news releases.

The first came from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) in July, announcing an exciting win in a Lotto Max draw. The OLG quoted the retiree’s feel-good story: “I won a free play, so I went to the store to claim it. When I handed my ticket to the cashier, she asked me if I wanted to add Encore to it, so I said, ‘Sure, why not?’” The next day, he checked the ticket. “I was in disbelief. I double-checked my ticket and counted the zeroes. When I realized it was a $1-million prize, I was overwhelmed,” the OLG release said.

At the time of his win, the OLG s

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