Lotto Max Winners Are $1 Million Richer & Will Use The New Money To Take Care Of Their Pets

The ticket was from six months ago!

Lotto Max Maxmillion winners.

Lotto Max Maxmillion winners.

Western Canada Lottery Corporation
Senior Writer

A recent Lotto Max winner in Saskatchewan is living proof that you should always check your tickets because you never know — you might just be $1 million richer and have no idea!

Russell Massan and Shelly Renton of Yorkton, Saskatchewan had bought a ticket back in October of 2022 when the jackpot was $70 million. When he found out someone else won the big prize, he put his ticket away, according to Western Canada Lotto Corporation.

Later, he found out he had won at a different game so he rounded up a few of the other tickets he had at home to scan them all at a store.

"I had a winning PLINKO ticket and was excited to check it," Massan said. "I won a smaller prize on PLINKO and scanned a few other tickets that I had sitting at the house. Then... surprise – a million dollars!"

"I jumped! I yelled!" he shared. "I turned around and high-fived the guy behind me. Shelly was waiting for me in the car, and I told everyone in the store about it on the way to tell her."

Renton was moved by the news.

"It’s just beyond, you know," she said, sharing that she got goosebumps when she found out. "Wow – this is a dream!"

As for what they plan to do with their new-found status as millionaires, they're going to use part of it to take care of their fur babies.

"We have three cats who need surgeries," said Renton. "This will obviously help with that. And we have a couple home renos to do."

The next Lotto Max draw is on Tuesday, May 16 and will have an estimated jackpot of $40 million. Tickets are available for purchase until 10:30 p.m. ET on the night of the draw.

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

  • Senior Writer

    Sarah Rohoman (she/her) was a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. She has worked at BuzzFeed Canada, Yahoo Canada, and CBC Radio in news, lifestyle, ecommerce, and social media. She has an MA in Journalism from Western University and a BA from McGill. She loves libraries, alpacas, and all things witchy.

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