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Summary

A Lotto Max Big Winner Told Media She Regrets Sharing Her Millions & Here's Why

She doesn't regret the new house she bought, though!

Lilianne Deschênes holds her massive, $32 million check after winning the Lotto Max draw.

Lilianne Deschênes holds her massive, $32 million check after winning the Lotto Max draw.

Staff Writer

After winning $32 million in Lotto Max's big payout, Liliane Synotte Deschênes turned to her loved ones to spread the windfall. But first, she bought herself a new house and a new car, fulfilling the dreams she told Loto-Québec about upon receiving her payout.

But rather than feeling seen by her close relatives and friends, Deschênes told the Journal de Montreal that she feels underappreciated to the point that she wishes she hadn't leapt to share her jackpot.

In an interview with the paper, Deschênes admitted that she regrets spreading her wealth so generously and so quickly. "I thought it would be appreciated more than this," she lamented.

"They don't come to see me," Deschênes said of her children, nephews and friends with whom she shared her winnings.

"They're doing their own thing, travelling and being happy," Deschênes added, admitting that "If they're happy, I'm happy."

Her disappointment, though, can't eclipse the surprise of being the biggest winner: Deschênes is used to buying Lotto Max tickets, but this was her very first win.

Once she presented her ticket to a checking kiosk, she at first thought she had won $32,000 — still a hefty sum, but nowhere near as massive as the $32 million that actually awaited her. As Loto-Québec put it, that's "even more zeroes!"

Deschênes told Loto-Québec she protected her lucky ticket with her life, bringing the purse she stashed it in to bed with her at night to make sure she didn't lose it.

Although she initially wanted to buy a motorcycle, Deschênes ultimately settled on her house and car, as well as a cleaner, whom she promptly fired, telling the Journal that "She was wiping a soaking wet mop on my floors," adding that Deschênes just "wasn't interested," and has since taken on cleaning her new home on her own.

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    • Willa Holt
    • Creator

      Willa Holt (they/she) was a Creator for MTL Blog. They have edited for Ricochet Media and The McGill Daily, with leadership experience at the Canadian University Press. They have an undergraduate degree in anthropology with a minor in French translation, and they are the proud owner of a trilingual cat named Ivy.

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