A Surrey woman has become almost $40 million richer, all because she decided to brave the crowds on Boxing Day.
Michelle De Roma purchased the winning ticket to last week's Lotto Max draw during a shopping trip at the Tsawwassen Mills outlet mall on Dec. 26, netting her a whopping $39,517,071.
After learning about her massive windfall, De Roma said the first person she told was "the number one love of my life," her husband.
"I told him that we won the jackpot and he just hugged me and kissed me and he shouted, 'Wow!'" she told reporters while claiming her cheque from the B.C. Lottery Corporation Friday.
The couple waited several days before coming forward, causing some speculation about how long the mysterious winner might wait before cashing in – particularly as a $1 million prize expired after going unclaimed for a year.
De Roma said her children don't even know about the massive win yet. But now that she's stepped up to receive her prize, De Roma said she's planning to purchase some new real estate for the family.
"I just want a nice house for my kids," she said. "And I want to travel. Everybody wants to travel."
She isn't sure which city they'll be living in, but said she knows at least one far-off and iconic destination she intends to visit.
"I really want to go to Rome – St. Peter's Basilica – with my mother-in-law. She wanted to go there," De Roma said.
Though lottery fantasies can be tempting, the odds of winning a Lotto Max draw are infinitesimal at just one in 28,633,528, according to the BCLC.
