Press release

Montréal, September 26, 2023 — A group is celebrating their $1,000,000 Formule groupe win in the July 19 Lotto 6/49 draw. Eleven individuals, all of them Montérégie residents, are splitting the prize. The last share was claimed on August 30. The winning tickets were purchased at the Champlain Mall lottery kiosk in Brossard. The kiosk is run by the Association Québécoise de l’Épilepsie, a non-profit organization.

The same kiosk sold 20 shares of a group play ticket that ended up winning the $50,000,000 jackpot in the May 3 Lotto Max draw. More recently, on October 11, the same kiosk sold 20 shares of a Formule groupe ticket that ended up winning a Maxmillions prize.

In Wednesday’s Lotto 6/49 draw, the winning ticket holder is guaranteed to take home the $68,000,000 jackpot! This is the biggest jackpot in Lotto 6/49’s 40-year history. The last time it offered such a whopping sum was last Saturday when the jackpot totalled $66,000,000.

A suggestion that paid off, a “lovely blessing” ... and a second prize in the span of 10 months for 2 of the winners!

Lilian Abello (one $100,000 share) – It was at the suggestion of her father, who was visiting Québec, that this winner bought a Lotto 6/49 group play ticket during a shopping spree. Abello says she plans to buy a house with her windfall.

Denise Belanger Thibodeau (one $100,000 share) – This is the second time in 10 months that this winner has won a major prize. Belanger Thibodeau won $50,000 in the October 11, 2022, Lotto Max draw with a ticket that she purchased at the same kiosk! She says she’s delighted to have won the lottery twice now.

Sylvie Chandonnet and Arnold Lefrançois (one $100,000 share split two ways) – Chandonnet was the first to find out that the Lotto 6/49 ticket the couple had bought on a whim turned out to be lucky. “When I saw the amount pop up on-screen, it took me a while before I called Arnold to tell him we’d just won!” When she came by to claim her share, Chandonnet mentioned wanting to help fund her daughter’s upcoming wedding. Lefrançois said he also wants to spoil loved ones.

Ali Elahi (one $100,000 share) – This is a second big win for Elahi. Just like Belanger Thibodeau, he won $50,000 in the October 11 Lotto Max draw with a group play ticket! Elahi says he prefers playing the lottery as a group, and plans to pay for his son’s studies with his windfall.

Michèle Fortin (one $100,000 share) – “It’s such a blessing,” said this winner, who ended up with a group play ticket after asking the kiosk clerk what lottery ticket she could buy for $5. Fifteen or so days later, she checked her Lotto 6/49 ticket. Fortin says she plans to do renovations and travel. Right now, she’s contemplating going to Greece and Japan.

Michel Horniak (one $100,000 share) – Horniak, who only buys group play tickets from time to time, got the shock of his life when he went to check his lottery tickets via the Lotteries app. He plans to keep his windfall for when he retires.

Ilham Kabbaj (one $100,000 share) – Kabbaj was the last of the winners to claim her share of the group play prize on August 30. She only plays the lottery from time to time, and only checked her ticket one month after she purchased it, when she got back from vacation. When she got her ticket validated at a shop, the clerk told her: “Look at the screen, you’ve won big!” “Throughout my whole trip outside of the country, I had my ticket folded up in a small ball in my wallet. I can’t believe this is actually happening!” she added. She says she plans to use part of her windfall to spoil loved ones.

Maria Lanto Suarez (one $100,000 share) – “I was overcome with emotion when my win was confirmed,” confided Lanto Suarez, who says she buys tickets for all Lotto 6/49 draws. She was at the grocery store when she found out she’d won $100,000. She says she’ll use her windfall to treat herself and support her family in the Philippines.

Patrice Poulin (one $100,000 share) – It was Poulin who first discovered that the group created by the lottery kiosk at Champlain Mall had won $1,000,000. He even broke the news to the kiosk clerk! The lucky winner says that a trip to a sun destination is part of his plans.

Denis Roy (one $100,000 share) – Roy, who only buys lottery tickets “when he feels like it,” found out he had a winning ticket the day after the draw, when he was at the pharmacy. “The woman behind the counter scanned the ticket and her eyes were wide when she looked at me,” he recounted, stunned. He says he plans to make a donation to a Québec charity he cares about.

In summary

• Lottery game: Lotto 6/49, Formule groupe (group play)
• Prize: $1,000,000 (10 shares of $100,000)
• Category: Guaranteed prize (white ball)
• Draw date: July 19, 2023
• Winners’ place of residence: Montérégie
• Ticket purchase location: lottery kiosk at Champlain Mall (2151 Boulevard Lapinière, Brossard)

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.