A Lotto 6/49 Winner Scored $36 Million & His Family Made Him Show Proof He Actually Won

A Quebec man is quite a few million dollars richer thanks to a winning Lotto 6/49 ticket and it seems that he held onto the information for a while before sharing it with his kids.

According to a press release from Loto-Québec, Jean-Marc Poirier from Lanaudière won the first-ever Gold Ball Jackpot sold in Canada, which was worth a whopping $36 million.

Poirier officially found out he was a winner for the October 29 draw after Loto-Québec contacted him, but he didn't come forward to claim his prize until early February.

"Due to the magnitude of the news, the Lanaudière resident decided to wait a bit before telling his loved ones and claiming his prize," said the press release.

To foreshadow the news of the win to his kids, Poirier apparently told them that "an unexpected windfall could arrive one day."

Due to his teasing, when he finally did tell them he won the lottery, his kids "required some proof from him to believe it," which is fair!

Not only did Poirier win a huge jackpot — he also scored two free plays, which the $36 million winner apparently found humorous.

"A handy person by nature, Poirier shared that he plans to continue practising his favourite hobbies, like working on cars," said the press release. "But he says he doesn't plan to skip visits to the mechanic now that he's a multimillionaire!"

As well, he's also bought himself a new vehicle and plans to travel to Costa Rica.

Have fun!

The next Lotto 6/49 draw will be on Wednesday, February 15, and if you have the Lotto 6/49 winning numbers, you could be taking home the $30 million Gold Ball Jackpot in addition to the $5 million Classic Jackpot.

If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, refer to these helplines across Canada. Support is available.