BC woman wins $70M to become province’s largest lottery prize winner ever

Christine Lauzon went to buy a pack of peanuts in the days leading up to the Sept. 28 Lotto Max draw.

In a spur-of-the-moment decision, she decided to buy a lottery ticket as well with the grand prize at a whopping $70 million.

“I just thought, ‘Why not buy a ticket?’” Lauzon explained. “I have definitely dreamed about it but I never thought it would actually happen. You never think it’s going to happen.”

Now, she can look back at that seemingly innocent decision as the moment that forever changed her life, as Lauzon was the sole winner of the $70-million prize.

The Burnaby woman now holds the record as BC’s largest lottery prize winner ever.

Lauzon was at home when she checked her ticket using the BCLC Lotto! app and quickly shared the incredible news with her roommate, then father.

“They were both so surprised and excited,” she recalled. “My dad…couldn’t keep a straight face.”

The experience has been surreal, Lauzon admitted, and her first priority is to connect with her financial advisor.

She plans on gifting some of her prize to her immediate family, but has a lot of other ideas for the money and causes that are close to her heart that will certainly benefit from her generosity.

“I feel nervous and excited all in one,” said Lauzon. “I can’t fully wrap my head around it all right now. I am so excited for what is to come.”

The odds of winning the Lotto Max jackpot, which is matching seven out of seven numbers on a ticket, are 1 in 33,294,800.

So far in 2021, BC lottery players have redeemed more than $169 million in winnings from Lotto Max, which includes Gary Hill’s $35-million win from the June 22 draw.