Couple from Ontario plans to claim $50 million lottery win

A lucky couple from Hawkesbury, Ontario, located just east of Ottawa, tells that they plan to go to Toronto on Tuesday to claim their $50 million Lotto Max prize.

Jo Ann Champagne, age 49, told that she and her husband Gaetan, age 51, picked up the lucky winning ticket at a pharmacy while shopping for Boxer Day sales. Jo Ann said that she they picked up the ticket so she could “put away stuff for next year and save some money.”

The couple has been playing the lottery for 20 years now with no much luck.

Jo Ann said that the windfall is like a dream.

"I had to stop at the corner store on the way into Hawkesbury and I put the ticket in the checker, like I do every Saturday when I buy my 6/49 and I check my Max. So I put it in and it says 50, 000,” she said.

"I'm going, 'Good, now I get rid of that ugly bathroom and new cupboards in my kitchen.'"

Jo Ann said she and her husband had missed some zeroes on their first reading. They did not know that they won $50 million at first.

"It's like living a dream. You just hope nobody wakes you up," added Jo Ann.

She and her husband managed a convenience store in Hawkesbury called Jo’s Depanneur for 12 years before they decided to sell it. They now manage a hobby shop that sells hockey cards and jerseys.

Lotto officials have confirmed that there was indeed a winning ticket validated by a couple in the Ottawa Region.

Lottery officials at OLG said, however, that they would only reveal where the ticket was bought or any information on the lottery winners until the ticket is confirmed.

The couple is expected to claim their prize later this week, told OLG spokesman Tony Bitonti.

Jo Ann said they plan to claim the prize on Wednesday morning.

The couple defied the odds of one in 28,633,528 to win the jackpot prize in Lotto Max.

There were also four tickets from the December 30 draw that won a $1 million Maxmillions prizes. One was purchased in Toronto and the others were sold in Western Canada.

Visit Lotterycanada.com to see the latest Lotto Max winning numbers!