Bernard Morissette has been playing the same lottery numbers for years, and after nearly forgetting, he made a purchase in the nick of time that paid off with a whopping $40 million.
The retired gym teacher from Quebec’s Outaouais region was one half of a fortunate duo in a record-breaking lottery worth $80 million.
The Lotto Max jackpot was split between two winning tickets located in Quebec and Ontario. Each winner from Tuesday night’s draw gets to take home $40 million.
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Morissette, who is in his 80s, suddenly remembered he hadn’t bought his ticket around 9 p.m. the night of the historic draw. He made the last-minute purchase online with the same lottery numbers he always plays, which are birthday dates in the family.
On Wednesday, a Loto-Québec employee reached out to him with the life-changing news: he’s a multi-millionaire.
The senior immediately called out to his wife Rachel that they had won. At first, their children didn’t believe their father’s newfound fortune.
Morisette made his way to Montreal by limo on Friday, where he spoke to reporters about his plans for his prize money. As a big sports fan, he hopes to go see professional soccer games in Italy.
The father of three also plans to use the windfall to secure his children’s future.
There’s been no release from Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation about the winner in that province.
— with files from Global’s Dan Spector and Gabby Rodrigues
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
