Once the bills have been paid and investments have been dealt with, most lottery winners need a break. And what better way to do so than by going on a vacation?
These lucky lottery players plan to celebrate their windfall by heading to various destinations from Hawaii to Mexico. Besides, who wouldn’t want to toast their newfound wealth in some exotic destination?
Here’s where these winners are headed.
“They said Hawaii, so we’re going to Hawaii!”
WCLC
At first, Alberta grandma Cornelia Cayanan thought she won $5,000 and said she was “very excited about winning that much.” However, she didn’t realize her win actually had a few more zeroes in it: Cayanan had won a Lotto 6/49 prize worth $5 million.
“My daughter is getting married this year,” she said. “And I have a milestone birthday this year, so we have a couple of big parties coming up!”
She also plans to treat her family to an unforgettable vacation to celebrate.
“I asked my grandkids where they would like to go,” she said. “They said Hawaii, so we’re going to Hawaii!”
“We will be able to live out the rest of our days in comfort”
ALC
Winning was a bit of a chaotic experience for a group of siblings from Newfoundland who won a $1 million prize.
After a production of the musical Come From Away was unexpectedly cancelled, Beverly Parsons stopped at a convenience store for Pepsi, water and a lottery ticket since she plays the lottery with her brothers, Carl and Dave Clark.
When she found out they won, she said she called Carl right away because she couldn’t believe the news.
“It was a bit of a panic,” she stated. “Then we both tried to FaceTime Dave.”
She added, “We will be able to live out the rest of our days in comfort. It’s unbelievable and really life-changing at our age.”
The siblings plan to take a big family vacation together to a warm destination.
“I didn’t end up getting on my flight because I wouldn’t have been able to focus”
OLG
“I was about to board my flight and decided to clean out my wallet, so I used the OLG app to check my tickets,” recalled Mohd Beg, a dad of two from Brampton, Ontario. “When I saw $5 million appear, I couldn’t believe it… I didn’t end up getting on my flight because I wouldn’t have been able to focus.”
So he left the airport and headed straight home to share the happy news with his wife.
“I told her I wasn’t getting on my flight and when she asked why, I showed her the OLG app,” he said. “She was so excited!”
The family had already been planning a vacation before Beg’s win, so here’s hoping the win meant they managed to upgrade their entire trip.
Lottery winner had to sit in his car at the gas station to process the news
Loto Quebec
Jeremy Beaudin and Cindy Robert from Estrie, Quebec, became $1 million richer after winning the April 28 Québec Max draw.
Beaudin was at the gas station when he saw the prize appear on the terminal screen and was so shocked that he told the clerk he needed to process the news.
Beaudin told Loto Quebec that the clerk replied, “Okay, but you will come back inside to pay for your gas before you go, right?”
Beaudin and Robert say they plan to spend their winnings on a family trip to Disney World, a new pick-up truck, and investments.
“I’m glad I didn’t know how much I won while I was on vacation”
OLG
Retired academic librarian Laurie Scott was on vacation when she won. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Scott has been playing the lottery for three decades, and since she signed up for a Lotto Max subscription online, her ticket was purchased automatically.
Scott was stunned to learn she had won a Lotto Max prize worth $22 million in the June 9 draw.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked and excited as I tried to wrap my head around the amount,” she said.
Scott said she plans to use the money for home renovations and, of course, to plan more trips.
“I saw we won, and I woke everyone up to tell them”
BCLC
Jacob Lamarsh of Comox, BC, had purchased a Jaws instant scratch-and-win ticket for his partner Natasha Kristensen, and the couple were relaxing at home when they found out they won a $100,000 prize.
“It was late at night, and I was watching TV and decided to scan it on my Lotto! App,” he explained. “I saw we won, and I woke everyone up to tell them.”
The Vancouver Island residents plan to treat their kids to a shopping spree with their prize and go on a family vacation to Las Vegas.
“Everyone was so happy!”
BCLC
Taljinder Khangura of Surrey, BC, had purchased two lottery tickets to boost her odds of winning in the Lotto Max April 12 draw. And win she did.
Khangura was shocked to discover she had won the Lotto Max Extra prize worth $500,000.
“This has been a big financial assistance,” she said. “This will make me less stressed.”
Khangura said she plans to whisk her family away on a vacation to Mexico.
“He goes, ‘Well, I’ll be damned’”
@atlanticlottery/Instagram
Former Ontario residents Marlena and Ernest Williams have been enjoying retirement in Dieppe, New Brunswick, but things just got more exciting after the couple won a $2 million prize on a $20 Scratch’N Win ticket.
“I scratch it, and I’m looking, and I see the number two, and I scratch again, and I still see ‘two,’ and I thought it was like $2,000,” Marlena said. “Then I kept scratching and I asked Ernest three or four times if this was for real, and he goes, ‘Well, I’ll be damned.’”
The couple said they enjoy travelling, and to celebrate their win, they plan to cross off some destinations on their list. In addition to being able to take more trips to Jamaica to visit family, they plan to visit British Columbia, Vietnam, and Panama.
“She asked me, ‘Is this really a million?’ So, I answered, “I think so!’
Loto Quebec
Quebec resident Stéphanie Vila almost lost her $1 million lottery prize.
Vila was cleaning out her wallet a few days before going on vacation to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything, and that’s when she found several lottery tickets buried inside.
The Montérégie resident headed over to a retailer to get them checked, and that’s when she found out she was now $1 million after winning a Max Millions prize in the Lotto Max draw on October 18… 2022!
“[The store attendant’s] eyes were wide open!” recalled Vila. “She asked me, ‘Is this really a million?’ So, I answered, “I think so!’”
Vila said she plans to put the money towards investments and use some of it to see the world.
With files from Isabelle Docto, Daniel Chai, Nikitha Martins, Laine Mitchell, and Harry Linley