Press release

Montréal, October 3, 2023 — “I can’t believe I had a ticket worth one million in my wallet this whole time! I almost lost my prize!” These were Stéphanie Vila’s words after she realized she’d won a Maxmillions prize in the Lotto Max draw of October 18... 2022! The Montérégie resident claimed her $1 million prize on September 18—11 months after the draw and one month before the prize claim deadline.

We’re still looking for the holders of six winning tickets! Some prizes must be claimed before October 7, 2023. See all unclaimed prizes of $100,000 and more below.

Highlights from Stéphanie Vila’s story

• Stéphanie Vila cleaned out her wallet a few days before setting off on a  trip to a sun destination to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. She found a few lottery tickets that had been buried in it for a few months.
• So, the Montérégie resident headed over to a retailer to have them checked. At first, when she saw the zeros on the self-serve ticket checker, she thought, “This can’t be right. The machine isn’t working properly.” After a second try, she had the ticket validated by the store attendant. “Her eyes were wide open! She asked me, ‘Is this really a million?’ So, I answered, “I think so!’” she said.
• Vila then called her parents, who were the first to learn the happy news.
• The lucky winner plans to invest her windfall and travel abroad.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Super C located at 2125 Boulevard Rolland-Thérrien in Longueuil. The retailer will receive a 1% commission of $10,000.

Stéphanie Vila’s prize

• Lottery game: Lotto Max
• Prize: $1,000,000
• Category: Maxmillions
• Draw date: October 18, 2022
• Claim date: September 18, 2023
• Prize claim deadline: October 17, 2023
• Winner’s place of residence: Montérégie
• Ticket purchase location: Super C (2125 Boulevard Roland-Therrien, Longueuil)

Looking for a millionaire

Loto-Québec is looking for the holder of a winning ticket of $1,000,000 sold in Estrie. In total, six tickets worth $100,000 and more remain to be claimed. Other winning tickets come from the Montérégie, Montréal and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean regions.

Loto-Québec is calling on all Québec players to check their lottery tickets. A reminder that customers can check their tickets easily via lotoquebec.com and the Loto-Québec Lotteries app. The holders of the winning shares are urged to call Loto-Québec’s customer service team at 1-866-611-5686.

Below are details about the unclaimed prizes worth $100,000 and more:

Learn more about unclaimed prizes

• Winners have 365 days following the draw to claim their prize.
• Loto-Québec informs lottery ticket buyers when a prize over $100,000 still hasn’t been claimed after several weeks.
• All unclaimed prizes of $100,000 or more are also listed in the Information tab of the Lotteries section of lotoquebec.com.
• Unclaimed prizes are redistributed to players in the form of bonus prizes and special draws.

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.

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