Press release

Montréal, May 17, 2023 — Outaouais resident François Lajoie took home $25,000 a year for life in the April 27 Grande Vie draw. In the end, he opted for the lump-sum prize of $500,000. He says that with his windfall, he’ll be able to devote more time to the caregiving movement—a cause dear to his heart. He also plans to celebrate his win with family and friends at the Casino du Lac-Leamy.

Highlights

• During a visit to the grocery store, Lajoie decided to buy a Grande Vie ticket on a whim.
• The numbers he chose correspond to family members’ birthdays.
• The morning after the draw, he checked online to see which Canadian regions the winners were from. That’s when he found out that a Québec player had won 5/5—not knowing it was him!
• The winner says that when he saw that he had the winning combination, he was “happy and surprised, but calm.” So calm in fact that he went to make some coffee, as he usually does.

The winning ticket was purchased at the IGA Extra located at 203 Boulevard des Grives in Gatineau.

In summary

• Lottery game: Grande Vie
• Prize: $25,000 a year for life (but opted for the lump-sum prize of $500,000)
• Category: 5/5
• Draw date: April 27, 2023
• Winner’s place of residence: Outaouais
• Ticket purchase location: IGA Extra (203 Boulevard des Grives, Gatineau)

The retailer will receive a 1% commission.

About Loto-Québec

Loto-Québec has been delivering entertainment to Quebecers for over 50 years, and its operations benefit the people and province of Québec. In 2022, it paid out 120 prizes of $1,000,000 or more to lottery winners. The Gagnant à Vie and Grande Vie tickets have provided 15 lucky winners with a lifetime annuity. Major prize winners are listed on the Winners page in the Lotteries section of lotoquebec.com. Read their stories.