22-Year-Old Man Wins $70M Jackpot After Buying Lotto Ticket at Grocery Store Where He Works

Jason Duaine Hahn
·2 min read

A 22-year-old from Canada made the purchase of a lifetime when he bought a winning lottery ticket netting him $70 million — and he already has plans on how he’ll spend it.

Gregory Mathieu, a now-former grocery store bagger from Québec City, found out he scored the winning ticket when Loto Québec held a drawing last Tuesday, according to CTV News.

The next morning, Mathieu drove to the supermarket where he worked, IGA Extra, and verified the ticket. According to a coworker, Mathieu — who was crying and shaking in his excitement — called his father to pick him up when he decided he was in no shape to drive.

“When there was nobody at the register I told her, the cashier, to check the ticket and she checked it and I couldn’t believe my eyes. And I still can’t believe it,” Mathieu told CTV.

“I went to sit down because I couldn’t talk or think,” he continued of the life-changing moment. “I called my mother and then I called my brother and then they came and joined me at the IGA and we went straight to my grandparents to take a breath.”

But Mathieu isn’t alone in the life-changing celebration — he announced he was giving $1 million each to seven members of his family.

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His mother, Sandra Julien, called the family “close-knit” during a press conference on Friday. “We are a very close-knit family and I am thrilled that we are able to experience this life-changing moment together,” she said.

Mathieu said he plans on traveling and buying a new car to replace the one that is giving him problems.

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The prize is the largest ever for the Canadian Province, according to Loto Québec.

“This is the first time in our history that a jackpot this large is won in Québec,” said Lynne Roiter, President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization. “Lotto Max is one of Quebecers’ favorite lotteries, producing a great many winners year after year. What’s more, this record jackpot coincides with Loto-Québec’s 50th anniversary.”