Adding lottery ticket to peanuts purchase leaves B.C. woman $70 million richer
Stopping for peanuts turned a woman from B.C.'s Lower Mainland into a multi-millionaire, thanks to a spur-of-the-moment decision to add a lottery ticket to her purchase.
Christine Lauzon's Lotto Max ticket – bought at a Shoppers Drug Mart in Burnaby, along with a pack of peanuts – matched all seven numbers in the Sept. 28 draw, winning her a massive $70 million prize.
"I just thought, 'Why not buy a ticket?'" Lauzon told the B.C. Lottery Corporation. "I have definitely dreamed about it but I never thought it would actually happen. You never think it's going to happen."
Lauzon's win marks the biggest lottery jackpot ever claimed in the province.
After checking her ticket at home, she shared the news with her roommate and then her father – but only after getting an expletive or two out of her system.
"The first thing, for me, was to swear because I couldn't believe it," Lauzon said.
She told the BCLC her plan is to meet her financial advisor, share some of her fortune with family, then spend a little time processing before deciding what to do with the rest.
"I feel nervous and excited all in one," Lauzon said in a BCLC news release. "I can't fully wrap my head around it all right now."
The odds of winning a Lotto Max jackpot, which requires matching all seven numbers without using the bonus, are said to be an infinitesimal one in 33,294,800.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.