Waterloo man arrested in theft of $50k worth of scratch tickets

File image of someone scratching a ticket.

A 39-year-old Waterloo man has been arrested in connection with the theft of nearly $50,000 worth of scratch-off lottery tickets in Guelph late last year.

On Dec. 12, Guelph police say they were called to a business on Woodlawn Road West. Police said a suspect had pried open the front doors to gain entry to the store the previous day.

“They were captured on video a short time later, exiting the business with two reusable shopping bags filled with scratch tickets and fleeing in their vehicle,” police said in a news release.

The owner of the store believed the tickets were not activated at the time of the theft and would be flagged so they could not be redeemed.

An investigation by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation revealed someone had attempted to redeem one of the stolen tickets a few days after the alleged theft, at a Waterloo business.

The man was arrested Wednesday and is charged with break and enter and possessing stolen property over $5,000.