lottomax winner

26 coworkers in Ontario just won the lottery together

If you won a seven-figure lottery prize, what you would do with all of that money. Quit your job? Buy a Lamborghini? Take a trip around the world?

While always exciting to get free cash in any quantity, not everyone who hits the jackpot is lucky enough to be second-home rich.

A group of 26 coworkers from all across the Greater Toronto Area are in that exact proverbial boat (as opposed to their own, literal boats) after winning a MAXMILLIONS prize worth $1 million as a group in the May 31, 2022 LOTTO MAX draw.

"I checked our ticket using the OLG App and I didn't believe all the zeroes," said Ernesto Diaz Herryman, who picked up the winnings at the OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation) Prize Centre in Toronto on behalf of the group.

"I called a meeting at work, and everyone was scared. They were wondering why I called them. When I shared the big news, they were so excited and told their families right away!"

The OLG announced the win in a news release on Friday, sharing the names of every worker who was in on the pool, noting that the group plays the lottery together often.

When divided evenly by 26 people, the million-dollar prize will equate to about $38,000 for each coworker.

You may not be able to buy a house in the GTA with $40K — heck, you can barely afford to buy one for the full $1 million prize amount — but it's still no sum to sneeze at.

With their share of the winnings, each of the 26 people could buy themselves a new car, a Birkin bag (or 4), tuition (or a huge chunk thereof) for many undergraduate programs at U of T, or a whole host of other awesome, expensive things.

And yet, according to group member Hiran Patel, the coworkers "plan to celebrate their win as a group."

I'm not sure what that means, but if they spend it all on one insane, super-balling party, I would like an invite, please.

Lead photo by

OLG


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