Press release

Montréal, October 27, 2023 — Lotto 6/49 made many people happy with its September 20 draw. A group of 28 colleagues who have worked or still work at Université de Montréal won the $5,000,000 Classic Jackpot.

Smiles were all around when the winners, hailing from the Centre-du Québec, Laurentides, Montréal and Montérégie regions, met at the Loto-Québec head office to receive their share of the jackpot during a press conference.

Highlights

• Diane Morneau, from the Laurentides region, is in charge of the group that was created some 10 years ago at the suggestion of her colleague, Caroline Soo, who had said, “I want to play with you!” And that’s how “le groupe à Didi” came into being.

• “Didi” herself is the one who checked the ticket and found out it was a winning one. “Only after I scanned the ticket over 20 times did I realize it was well and truly $5 million,” she said. “We’re still astonished!”

• Aline Racine, who joined the group when it was created, learned the great news over the phone. “Looks like we won, and we’ll be sharing $5,000,000,” a colleague told her before sending her a screenshot of the ticket.

• The news made the rounds very quickly at the office. Caroline Soo was thrilled to be on-site to share the moment's happiness with the rest of the group.

• Olivier St-Germain-Lavoie, another group member, was utterly surprised. “My phone rang all the time that day. I was travelling, so I ignored the calls.” He found out about the win through a videoconference. “I thought it was a joke at first. But I was speechless when Caroline showed me the validation slip on-screen.”

• The 28 winners each get one share of $178,571 of the $5,000,000 jackpot. Among other things, they plan to spoil their children, do some renovations and travel—Morneau in Québec and Soo in Portugal.

$50,000 commission for the retailer

The winning ticket was purchased at the Maxi on Boulevard Saint-Anne in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines. The retailer will receive a 1% commission of $50,000.

The 28 winners of one share each are:

Summary of the 28 colleagues’ win

• Lottery game: Lotto 6/49
• Prize: $5,000,000
• Category: Jackpot
• Draw date: September 20, 2023
• Winners’ place of residence: Centre-du-Québec, Laurentides, Montréal and Montérégie
• Ticket purchase location: Maxi (480 Boulevard Sainte-Anne, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines)

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. Last year, 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.