Press release

Montréal, November 9, 2023 — A $1,000,000 grand prize was won in the October 21 Lotto 6/49 draw with Formule groupe tickets. All ten winning shares were purchased at the Saint-Pascal Sonic Avantis gas station in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. Five winners of $100,000 each reside in that region. A Mauricie family travelling through is splitting their share of $100,000 three ways. Avantis Coopérative, who owns the gas station, won $400,000, representing the total of the unsold shares. Eight people and an agricultural cooperative are the lucky winners of the grand prize.

VIDEO | Watch Léonard Malenfant, one of the Bas-Saint-Laurent winners, tell his story: https://youtu.be/WANC9XCeM7o.

The five Bas-Saint-Laurent winners

Josée Fournier (one share of $100,000): When she heard clients at the gas station talking about a group that had won $1,000,000 with Formule groupe tickets, Fournier discussed the alleged prize with the store clerk. She then went to her car to retrieve her ticket. When it was validated, she saw $100,000 appear on the customer display screen. The lucky winner started waltzing in front of the counter!

Léonard Malenfant (one share of $100,000): Malenfant decided to get a Formule group ticket when he went for breakfast. He called his sister from the convenience store to tell her about his lucky strike when he discovered he’d won the day after the draw. She had a hard time believing it! Malenfant plans to use his share of the prize to take it easy and travel.

Christian Pelletier (one share of $100,000): “I came to see you two years ago when I won $30,000 with Banco,” said Pelletier when he arrived at the Loto-Québec winners’ lounge. “I’m still having trouble realizing it, even with the cheque in hand!” he added, in reference to this new lottery win.

François Surprenant (one share of $100,000): Surprenant found out he’d won on lotoquebec.com. “I’ll be able to pay back my mortgage with this win,” was his first thought. The clerk was waiting for him when he returned to the gas station to confirm the great news.

Aline Roy (one share of $100,000): Roy discovered her win on the Lotteries app. “I saw that I’d won $1,000. I counted the zeros and corrected myself, thinking I’d won $10,000. Then I counted the zeros again to realize it was $100,000 instead!” She immediately told her spouse. Roy plans to travel, buy an electric bike, and get cross-country skiing equipment for the season.

The three Mauricie winners

France Lefrançois, Michael Lajoie and Steve Lajoie (one share of $100,000 split three ways): Lefrançois and her two sons, Michael and Steve Lajoie, celebrated getting their prize at the Salon de jeux de Trois-Rivières. She admitted being euphoric when she saw the prize they’d won. While Lefrançois plans to spoil herself, her sons will use their share of the prize for home renovations.

The Saint-Pascal retailer

Avantis Coopérative (four shares of $100,000): As chair of the board of directors, Frédéric Martineau was proud to represent Avantis Coopérative and receive a cheque for $400,000 from Loto-Québec on November 3. He said the coop is an economic driver in the region.

In summary

• Lottery game: Formule groupe Extra
• Prize: $1,000,000 (10 shares of $100,000)
• Category: Jackpot
• Draw date: October 21, 2023
• Winners’ place of residence: Bas-Saint-Laurent and Mauricie
• Ticket purchase location: Saint-Pascal Sonic Avantis gas station (217 Rue Rochette in Saint-Pascal)

The retailer will receive a 1% commission of $10,000.

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 lottery games 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.