'One ticket is all it takes': OLG reveals winner of $60-million jackpot
A woman from Hamilton, Ont. is now a multimillionaire after she won the $60-million Lotto Max jackpot.
Leah Murdoch-Gerics received the cheque on Thursday. She purchased the $5 “quick pick” ticket on OLG.ca for the April 19 draw.
The $60-million payout is the largest ever to be awarded to a Lotto Max jackpot winner who purchased their ticket online.
Murdoch-Gerics said she had been playing the lottery casually over the past year before the big win.
“Just one ticket is all it takes. Five bucks,” Leah Murdoch-Gerics told a room full of reporters as she was presented with the novelty cheque.
The 58-year-old Hamilton resident said she saw an email from OLG after the April 19 draw, which indicated she had won a prize.
However, she didn’t actually open the email until later.
“When I see OLG emails in my inbox, they normally say I won a Free Play ticket, but this specific email looked different,” she said.
When she did open the email to check the prize amount, she said she was “suddenly calm.”
“I didn’t know what to do next. I couldn’t really fathom this was happening to me.”
After showing the email to her husband, he initially thought she had won $60,000.
After she urged him to take a closer look, the reality of the win set in.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“It was clear at that moment what he saw! We were both in shock and just stared at each other stunned in disbelief,” she said.
The self-described homemaker said the windfall is overwhelming for her and her family.
“My husband’s retired…but not for long,” Murdoch-Gerics said jokingly. “He’s got a new job now: working for me.”
She said that one of the best moments following the win was the look on her children’s faces after she delivered the news.
“It was seeing the shock on their faces when they realized that they get to enjoy all the excitement without the responsibilities,” she laughed.
Murdoch-Gerics said she understands she has to “use the money wisely” in the long-term, but plans to treat her family to a vacation in the near future.
“I don’t see any major changes in the immediate future because who knows where we will be a year from now,” she said. “This is just an emotional journey that starts with disbelief and builds into excitement. I feel so humbled and honoured to be in this place at this moment.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.