When Christine Lauzon picked up a Lotto Max ticket for the September 28, 2021 draw with her pack of peanuts, she never imagined her spur-of-the-moment decision would result in her winning the massive $70-million jackpot.
“I just thought, ‘Why not buy a ticket?’” Lauzon said. “I have definitely dreamed about it but I never thought it would actually happen. You never think it’s going to happen.”
Lauzon, who selected her numbers with Quick Pick and purchased her ticket at the Shoppers Drug Mart on Hastings Street in Burnaby, now holds the record as B.C.’s largest lottery prize winner – ever. She checked her ticket at home using BCLC’s Lotto! app, and shared the incredible news first with were her roommate and next her father. “They were both so surprised and excited,” she recalled. “My dad…couldn’t keep a straight face.”
Lauzon says the experience has been surreal: Her first priority is to connect with her financial advisor and next, she will gift some of her prize to her immediate family. She says she has a lot of ideas and causes that are close to her heart, and will take her time before deciding how she will make an impact.“I feel nervous and excited all in one,” she said. “I can’t fully wrap my head around it all right now. I am so excited for what is to come.”