Press release

Montréal, December 16, 2020 — Outaouais resident Linda Phillips took home the whopping $55,000,000 jackpot in the October 30 Lotto Max draw. The lucky winner found out that she had the winning ticket and was now a multimillionaire more than a month after the draw. She shared that her win is the perfect gift—just in time for the holidays and her birthday!

Loto-Québec held a virtual press conference, during which Linda was interviewed from the comfort of her home, so that members of the media could meet her. Watch it here: Lotto Max : Linda gagne un gros lot de 55 000 000 $

Highlights

• Linda usually buys a lottery ticket when the jackpot is greater than $20,000,000. 
• On October 30, the Lotto Max jackpot was $55,000,000. With this in mind, the lucky lotto player bought a ticket, which she then put aside for several weeks.
• When she found herself with a small pile of tickets that needed to be validated, she asked her son if he could help her check them.
• When he saw the results on his phone, her son had a strong reaction. He broke the news to his mother: she was the winner of the $55,000,000 Lotto Max jackpot that Loto-Québec was looking for!
• Linda then went to a retailer to confirm her win. “You won! You won the jackpot!” the clerk exclaimed.
• The winner considers her windfall to be wonderful gift that came just in time for the holidays and her birthday. She plans to use the money to retire early.

Quote

“Lotto Max, always a popular lottery game, has turned many Quebecers into winners again this year. This $55,000,000 jackpot, which was offered just before the holidays, comes after two record $70,000,000 jackpots were awarded to Quebecers earlier this year,” said Lynne Roiter, President and CEO of Loto-Québec.

COVID-19: How to claim your prize

As part of the collective effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of its customers and employees, Loto-Québec has temporarily suspended in-person prize claims at its prize claim offices. Winners of prizes of $25,000 or more who have a physical lottery ticket should contact Loto-Québec’s customer service team.

Please note: Owners of physical lottery tickets with an expiry date between March 17 and September 17, 2020, inclusively who’ve won a prize will have an additional six months to claim it. Loto-Québec is advising them to hold on to their ticket(s); they’ll be able to claim their prize when things get back to normal. The payment terms for prizes won on lotoquebec.com remain the same.

About Loto-Québec

Loto-Québec’s mission is to responsibly and efficiently manage games of chance in a controlled and measured fashion in the interest of all Quebecers. Entertainment is at the heart of its activities. Between January 1 and December 6, 2020, Loto-Québec paid out 105 prizes of $1,000,000 or more to lottery winners. The Gagnant à vie and Grande Vie lotteries have provided 14 lucky winners with a lifetime annuity. Major prize winners are listed on the Winners page of the Lotteries website.