49 Quebecers become millionaires after record Lotto Max win

Forty-nine people from Quebec became millionaires after winning the $55-million Lotto Max jackpot in the Aug. 21 draw.

According to lottery officials, it is the first time such a large group has collectively won a jackpot of that size in a single lottery draw.

Each winner will receive roughly $1.12 million.

None of the winners — all members of an online lottery group — had met before they gathered at Loto-Québec’s headquarters in Montreal on Tuesday.

The 49 winners come from 12 different regions across Quebec.

Naeim Nouzad, an IT technician from Dorval, was among the winners. He says he woke up and checked his emails as usual, only to discover he had become a millionaire.

“When I woke up, I checked my email. Normally it says $1, $2 won, but I didn’t have my glasses and I saw just too many numbers,” said Nouzad.

Richard Poirier, who lives in Outaouais, compared the feeling of winning to having a hamster running on a wheel 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We’ve been on a cloud for a week,” he said.

Some winners learned the news after being contacted by the Loto-Québec team. Their reactions ranged from laughter and disbelief to tears.

One winner’s reaction was recorded and played for the group Tuesday, capturing the surprise felt by many when they learned they had won.

“I managed to tell no one for two days. I said I’m going to wait, it’s going to be a good surprise. But after two days I told my younger sister that lives with me,” said Nouzad.

When asked what he plans to do with the money, Poirier said he would buy a Jeep he has wanted for some time, with cash.

He also said the winnings will allow him to fully retire.

“I’ve been retired since 2014. But I’ve also been working two part-time jobs since then to make some extra cash. But now I’ve quit,” said Poirier.

Nouzad said he plans to buy his nephew a gift, pay off his house and help his two sisters, who live with him.

Both men said they were regular Loto-Québec players, sometimes buying tickets twice a week.

Poirier said he has even continued playing since becoming a millionaire.

“I played this week, Lotto Max and 649. But I was afraid to win again!” said Poirier.

Poirier said the money has not changed him, but says he’s vigilant to watch the way people around him react to the win.

“You know it doesn’t change someone to win, but maybe it changes the people around you,” he said.