There are five new millionaires across the Greater Toronto Area after a group of employees at a construction firm in Etobicoke hit a $60-million Lotto Max jackpot in January.
The group bought the ticket just ahead of the Lunar New Year, which is traditionally associated in Asian culture with family, good fortune, health and prosperity for the year ahead.
“About a week before Lunar New Year, I was buying creamer for the office and thought I’d pick up a ticket for the group,” the group’s leader, Trang Pham, told the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
The following day, Pham, of Mississauga; Suong Tran, also from Mississauga; Phong Phan of Brampton; Thuc Le, who hails from Toronto; and Zou Hsieh, who lives in Scarborough, discovered they were millionaires after their ticket won the $60-million grand prize.
“I saw in the news that the $60 million Lotto Max winning ticket had been sold in Etobicoke, so I checked ours right away,” Pham said. “I reviewed the numbers myself and saw that one of the lines matched exactly.
“I couldn’t believe it, so checked the ticket again, this time on the OLG app. When I saw $60 million on the screen, I was in total shock. I took a screenshot and sent it to the group chat right away.”
She told OLG her phone began “blowing up” with calls and texts from her fellow millionaires.
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“I was in a parking lot at work when the text came in,” Tran said. “I thought Trang was teasing us, so I called her. When she confirmed it wasn’t a joke, I started shaking and crying tears of joy.”
Phan was about to start his workday when the initial text reached his phone.
“I couldn’t believe it. Then I did. I was so happy…. I didn’t know what was going on! So many emotions. I even checked the numbers myself. It was hard to act normal that day!”
He passed the news along to Hsieh and Le, who were left shocked and amazed by their fortune, telling OLG.ca they had a couple of sleepless nights following the big win.
Jim Warren, the chair of the OLG board of directors, awarded the winnings to the group during the Lunar New Year, giving them a giant red envelope in keeping with the Lunar New Year tradition of how gifts of money are shared.
OLG.ca says the co-workers are still figuring out what they will do with their winnings but they did share ideas such as buying a home or retiring.
“Purchasing a home has been a dream of mine since my parents relocated to Canada,” Pham said. “They made so many sacrifices for me, and now it’s my time to take care of them. I also plan to make some investments and tap into my inner philanthropist.”
Phan said he plans to travel, while Le will buy a house for his mother and Hsieh immediately said he is retiring.
“Last year, I was worried about retiring, but now I don’t have to,” he shared. “I want to start travelling the world and see it all. I really hope to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights along the way.”
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