One man said his father heard "coffee-shop talk" the winner was a member of Brantford's Royal Canadian Legion. "But remember, that's just coffee-shop talk," he said.

And yesterday morning someone asked 77-year-old Clara Judge if she'd won what the province's Lottery and Gaming Corporation is calling the largest prize ever won on a single ticket.

"I wouldn't be here if I had," she told her friend.

Here's what's known for sure: one week after 13 Hamilton police officers and one from Waterloo split $25 million, another winning ticket has been sold in this region; this time Brantford.

Here's the rumour on the lips of almost everyone in Brantford: The winner, a man, works at the Brantford Charity Casino and bought the ticket from a variety store in the city's south end. Cab driver Rolf Fischer says it's true. He heard it from a part-time driver who also works at the casino. Lynn Kondro, the shift manager at the casino, said she could "neither confirm nor deny that."

The rumour -- actually a collection of rumours -- is spreading quickly through the city based on nothing more than word of mouth.

In the same breath, many mention the Kellys, a Brantford family who claimed a jackpot of about $12 million some 30 years ago.

"At the time it was the biggest jackpot in Canada," said Linda who delivers pizza for Luciani's Pizza and has been playing Super 7 for the last five weeks with co-workers.

Nobody knows who started the rumour, but it's distracting everyone and won't be quelled until at least today when the winning ticket is claimed at the lottery commission's Toronto offices.

Kim Yang has heard the same thing in the last two days. Since Saturday morning, she's been flooded by customers at her store, Jamie's Variety, at Dunsdon Plaza, where the ticket is said to have been sold.

"Yesterday I was so busy with people coming and asking me about the winning ticket," Yang said yesterday. "I have a lot of customers who work at the casino. Maybe the winner has told their friends."

Yang has a vested interest in the truth. She stands to gain about $1,000 for selling the ticket and maybe a little extra from the ticket-holder.

Then there's the bragging rights. The last time she sold a winning ticket was more than two years ago when a customer bought a car after winning $50,000 from a Keno ticket.

Drew Bielawski, acting staff sergeant with the city police, said there has been heightened awareness of the Super 7 lottery ever since last week when 13 police officers from Hamilton and one from Waterloo won $1.7 million each.

Many Brantford police officers pitched in money to buy tickets and everyone has been talking about it.

But yesterday that hope turned sour when a man called police to say he went to a store to confirm a winning ticket. He accused the girl behind the counter of stealing his winning ticket and switching it with a different one.

Police looked into the claim, but later dismissed it as unfounded.

awoods@thespec.com or 905-526-4620.

By Allan Woods
The Hamilton Spectator

A panel representing academia, industry, advertising and media concluded that online gambling could operate legally and safely in this country so long as federal regulations are enacted to protect consumers, according to a press release issued by BETonSPORTS plc, the largest online wagering service and sponsor of the event.

The Ontario Racing Commission suggests a rule change quietly made last year by former agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief exceeded his legal authority.

Under the bills, each of the state's seven tracks would feature 500 to 2,000 video terminals. The profits from these ventures would go back into agricultural programs and bolster the general budget.

Legal betting would boost attendance at the steeplechase, said Roger Secrist, chairman of the board of the Carolina Horse Park Foundation. He said the region is losing an estimated $25 million because the Nextel Cup series will no longer hold a NASCAR race at the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham.

200.01 Bingo, Lottery, Raffle and Lottery by Pickle Card Regulations 35‑200 through 35‑222 are adopted to carry out the provisions of the Nebraska Bingo Act.