Western Canada Lottery Corp Created 53 Millionaires in 2010
The Western Canada Lottery Corp was thrilled to announce that it had turned an incredible 53 people into instant millionaires during 2010.
This was thanks in part to a super run of lottery luck on the Prairies.
"We had 53 winners of $1 million or more," said Andrea Marantz of the Western Canada Lottery Corp. "To put that in some kind of context, our previous record [from 1993] was 29."
There were a number of factors that contributed to this amazing feat.
"I think it was a combination of things," said Marantz. "Of course, it's always luck, which is such a random thing, but the one thing was the introduction of Lotto Max, which is a game that provides more opportunities to win $1 million and more... and that game has proved very popular in the West."
What do new millionaires do with their cash?
Some share it with their family, others pay off loans and debts, while others pamper themselves by purchasing a new car or follow their dreams by traveling.
A large percentage of winners make a contribution of some form to charity organizations.
The single biggest winner this year was clearly Cameron Blaire who took home a staggering $41.7 million in April.
The welder had been laid off work only a few weeks prior to the win, and decided to buy a lottery ticket on a whim in the hope of changing his luck somewhat.
His was the second largest jackpot that was ever paid to a single Canadian in the lottery's history.
The lottery group hopes to break the record once more in 2011, as the popularity of Lotto Max continues to grow.
