Toronto Woman Celebrates $50m Lotto Max Win
A family from Peterborough, Ontario are still coming to grips with the fact that they are $50 million richer, after hitting the Lotto Max jackpot lottery this month.
The Powells, the father John, mom Lynda and their four adult children, Daniel, Gaylene, Michael and Sion, have been playing the lottery together now for two years, although Lynda Powell has been, according to her kids, buying lottery tickets "religiously" for 25 years.
This perseverance finally paid off when the family hit the jackpot earlier this month, winning the Lotto Max top prize.
When the family turned up to take home their giant check from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp, Lynda Powell recalled the moment when she found out that her life had changed forever.
Lucky Winner Lost Voice Over Win
At the press conference after being handed their check, Powell had to have her statement read out to reporters because she had no voice.
Her husband and children explained that after she realized she had won the lottery, she had screamed and chatted so much that she had lost her voice.
Powell wrote about when she first found out that she had won.
"I checked the ticket on the self scanner after grocery shopping and was shocked to see all the zeroes," she wrote.
She rushed home to tell John, who was so shocked that he ran to the corner store in his pajamas and slippers to check for himself.
News quickly spread about the family's good fortune, and friends and relatives soon flocked to their home to wish them well and celebrate.
Sion Powell remembered that he didn't quite understand why there so many cars parked at his home when he returned home on Saturday.
"I approached the deck, everyone's yelling at me," he said. "A family of jokers, you don't really think it's true."
Winning Lotto Max Ticket Hidden in Sock
As for the winning ticket? Linda Powell didn't let it out of her site and for the entire weekend kept it hidden in a sock until she could claim the prize on the following Monday.
Now that the money is safe in their bank account, the family plan to do a lot with their fortune.
For one, they want to take a family vacation to Wales where John originates from, and also to purchase a four door Land Rover.
"We have some extended family, we're going to be a little bit gracious and look after some people," said Sion about the $50m Lotto Max win.
