Canada Revenue Agency Workers Win $32m Lottery Prize
A group of 26 co-workers came forward to collect their $32.6 million Lotto Max win this week, marking the second time that Ottawa has been the scene of a big win in eight weeks.
The Lotto Max jackpot will be shared among the employees of Canada Revenue Agency who work into the Ottawa human resources offices of the organization.
Asked if they intended leaving their jobs, none of the workers admitted to thinking of such a possibility, despite their new fortunes.
"I enjoy going to work every day," noted one of the winners, Suzie Vajocovec.
The winners, however, will use their winnings to treat themselves to new cars and luxury holidays.
"We're just letting the dust settle," noted another winner, office director Lise Lafortune. "We have a lot to think about, and we just have to step back from our emotions for a while."
Successful Group Lottery Win
There have been a number of big syndicate wins in the past, some of them successful, and others riddled with disputes about payouts to members.
The recent Lotto Max winners, however ensured that everything was well documented regarding who contributed to the lottery ticket purchases.
Philippe Bussiere, who organizes the weekly lottery pool, said that he had kept a photocopy of the winning ticket but had been forced to rush to the office to grab the original "which was sitting in a coffee mug."
Out of the 50 people working in the syndicate's office, 26 of them shared part of the payout, with their ages ranging between 27 and 63.
His advice to Canadian lottery syndicate members: "Make sure you get everything in black and white."
Big Lotto Wins in Ottawa
The $32 million Lotto Max win was the second massive lottery payout in Ottawa in the past eight weeks.
Tina Ferrone and Liam McGeee won the eye-watering sum of $48 million in April this year.
In 2008, a $40 million jackpot was paid out to four Nav Canada employees.
