A bag of peanuts and $70M, please: B.C. woman recalls spur-of-the-moment decision to buy winning Lotto ticket

A Burnaby, B.C., woman who just won the largest Lotto Max draw in the province’s history says she made the decision to buy her winning ticket on the spur of the moment.

Christine Lauzon purchased the ticket for the Sept. 28 draw alongside a pack of peanuts at the Shoppers Drug Mart on Hastings Street in Burnaby, according to the B.C. Lottery Corporation.

“I just thought, ‘Why not buy a ticket?'” Lauzon said.

Lauzon said she has dreamed about winning Lotto Max from time to time, but never thought it would actually happen.

She said she checked her ticket at home, then shared the news with her roommate, and then her father.

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

Lauzon said the experience has been surreal, but once her feet are back on the ground, her first priority is to connect with her financial advisor.

She said she plans to gift some of the prize to her immediate family.

“I can’t fully wrap my head around it all right now,” she said. “I am so excited for what is to come.”

Lauzon says she has a lot of ideas and causes that are close to her heart, and she will take her time before deciding how she will make an impact.