28 Co-Workers From Quebec Won The Lotto 6/49 Jackpot & Will Split $5 Million
The group has been playing the lottery for 10 years.
A group of 28 co-workers from the Université de Montréal holding a massive $5 million cheque from Loto-Québec.
A group of 28 co-workers from the Université de Montréal won the Lotto 6/49 jackpot and will split the whopping $5,000,0000 jackpot.
The winning members hail from several regions across Quebec including Centre-du-Québec, les Laurentides, Montérégie and Montréal. All 28 colleagues arrived at the Loto-Québec head office where they received their share of the jackpot during a press conference.
The group first began playing the lottery together 10 years ago when Diane Morneau took charge along with her fellow co-worker Caroline Soo, creating a group they now call "Le Groupe à Didi."
It was "Didi" herself who verified the winning ticket, Loto-Québec said. "Only after I scanned the ticket over 20 times did I realize it was well and truly $5 million," Morneau said. "We're still astonished."
Olivier St-Germain-Lavoie, another group member, said he had ignored all of their calls that day due to travel. Lavoie went on to discover they had all won the jackpot during 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 will each get their fair share of the $5 million jackpot, which comes to $178,571. Loto-Québec said that the winners already have plans to spend the money, including completing home renovations, heading on some travels, and spoiling their children.
The winning ticket was purchased at the Maxi grocery store on Boulevard Saint-Anne in Sainte-Annes-des-Plaines. The retailer will receive a 1% commission of $50,000.
Per the Loto-Québec press release, the 28 winners of one share each are:
From Montréal
- Isabelle Bisson
- Damienne Boutonnet
- Brigitte Côté
- Claudine Laberge
- Hélène Lafortune
- Christelle Lollier-Théberge
- Guylaine Martin
- Mélissa Mirabella
- Minh-Hanh Phan
- Sylvie Proulx
- Philippe Adly Prunyer
- Jennifer Racine
- Kim Richard
- Olivier St-Germain-Lavoie
- Andrée-Anne Thériault
From Montérégie
- Catherine Caffiaux
- Justin Carrier-Baudouin
- Nalamhonron Hélène Coulibaly
- Marcel Dionne
- Jennifer Juin
- Roxane Lahaie
- Aline Racine
- Louise Reid
- Caroline Soo
- William Antonio Vega Sarabia
From other regions
- Denys Bussières from Centre-du-Québec
- Diane Morneau from Laurentides
- Yvan Vézina from Laurentides
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.