Press release

Montréal, January 8, 2023 — Ormstown resident Isabelle Poitras took home $1,000,000 during the televised Célébration 2023 Gala, which aired Sunday, January 8 on TVA.

Poitras was one of 40 players from various parts of Québec who attended the gala. With her $1,000,000 windfall, Poitras says she’ll get to realize her dream of travelling to Italy, which she describes as “the land of wine and love.” The winning ticket was purchased at IGA, located at 4 Rue Bridge in Ormstown.

Two other winners—Eric Dennemont, a resident of Saguenay (Chicoutimi borough) in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, and Maria Perugini, a resident of Longueuil in Montérégie—each took home $100,000. Nirisoa Raherinaina was at the gala to accept Dennemont’s prize on his behalf.

Info on the newly minted millionaire

• Isabelle Poitras had the ball marked 34 during the draw for the top three finalists at the Célébration 2023 Gala.
• When she found out that she’d be attending the gala, the lucky winner cried out for joy. This startled her spouse, who came running to her aid, thinking that maybe she’d seen a spider!
• Poitras emitted the same kind of cry when ball 34 was drawn, making her one of the gala’s final three contenders for the $1M prize.
• Poitras, who confided that she can be clumsy at times, kidded that she’d have to pack six or seven dresses for the gala, for fear of accidentally staining one or more.
• As well as travelling to Italy, the winner says she plans to buy a cottage ahead of her retirement.

A gala that featured acclaimed artists and loads of prizes

Véronic DiCaire, Gregory Charles and Sébastien Benoit were the hosts of the Célébration 2023 Gala, which took place at the Théâtre du Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau. Musical artists Corneille, Suzie Villeneuve, Lunou Zucchini, Marie-Luce Béland, Bleu Jeans Bleu, DM Nation and Ingrid St-Pierre dazzled the crowd with show-stopping performances.

Several other prizes, such as a $5,000,000 grand prize and five prizes of $1,000,000, were also drawn among tickets holders at home. Players can check the winning numbers on the Célébration 2023 page of lotoquebec.com.

Close to $1.5 billion in prizes awarded

Loto-Québec has been delivering entertainment to Quebecers for over 50 years, and its operations benefit the people and province of Québec. During the 2021–2022 year, it awarded close to $1.5 billion in prizes to lottery winners—a record for the government corporation. Major prize winners are listed on the  Winners page, in the Lotteries section of lotoquebec.com.