Pending some paperwork, a small group of people from the Calgary area appears to have won Canada’s largest-ever lottery jackpot. Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis CEO Kandice Machado told media Wednesday the winning Lotto Max numbers were purchased through Play Alberta. The winning numbers were 08, 15, 19, 23, 26, 28 and 34, with a bonus number of 38. Machado said the news made for “an exciting morning.” “We’re super excited for the winner and super excited for players,” she said during a virtual press conference. “It’s a significant win for our province and puts us back on the leader board for lottery wins.” No winner was identified on Wednesday. Machado would only say her “understanding, currently, is that it is a small group” and that the small group’s location “is the Calgary area.” She said there’s some due diligence to be done before a full announcement is made. “We’ll be excited to announce the winners in the coming weeks,” she said. “We do a few validations. There’s an interview process. And then we do some preparation.” The top Lotto Max prize went unclaimed for several draws, pushing the pot up to a record-breaking $90 million, where it sat until Tuesday night. The prize money will be the largest ever awarded in a lottery in Canada. It comes six months after changes allowed the maximum prize to increase to $90 million, up from $80 million. Prior to Tuesday’s draw, the largest prize to be claimed in Canada was split by two people in London, Ont. For that draw, it was announced in December that two friends would be sharing an $80.4-million prize. Lotto Spot spokesperson Kevin van Egdom called the win “historic.” “No Canadian lottery has ever offered a $90-million jackpot before and to have the first-ever winner in our region is thrilling,” he said. Play Alberta said Wednesday the $90-million win “beats out a $70-million win from November 2022 as the biggest prize ever captured in Alberta.” It’s the first eight-figure lottery jackpot won through Play Alberta. What to do with $90 million? With $90 million in pocket, what can’t you do? Precious little is the answer. But Calgarians that CTV News spoke with on Wednesday had one particular thing in mind, if they suddenly had access to that kind of money. Looking out for others came up more frequently than lifestyle upgrades. Not to say they wouldn’t treat themselves to a little something, though. “I’d probably be a little bit more generous with my giving,” said one person. “I’d look around at where I could help. “But as far as lifestyle goes, not a whole lot (would change). Maybe I’d buy a new vehicle.” “I probably wouldn’t change my lifestyle very much,” said another. “I think I’d give a lot of it away.” “I’d probably do something philanthropic—set up some kind of give-back situation,” said a third person. “I’d give money to my family and probably buy a nice resort place somewhere on the lake.” “I’d share it with family and friends and try to give back to the people that need it the most,” said a fourth. With files by CTV News’ Kendra Mangione and Mason DePatie
