Ontario Lotto Max Winner Kept Her $60M Prize A Secret For 30 Mins In The Car With Her Mom

Ontario's newest multi-million-dollar lottery winner was so shocked by the amount that she stayed quiet about it during her 30-minute car ride home with her mom.

OLG announced on Friday that Camellia Kazemi Talachi from Richmond Hill is the winner of the $60 million Lotto Max jackpot from the November 29, 2022, draw.

Talachi said she stopped at a gas station to check her ticket, not knowing that the $60 million lottery winner who didn't claim their prize yet was from Richmond Hill.

"I gave my ticket to the clerk, and when the winning jingle started playing, I knew I won something but didn't know how much until OLG called the store and told me it was $60 million!" she shared.

While at the store, Talachi tried to process what happened but also calm down so that her mother, who was waiting in the car, wouldn't worry that something was wrong.

"I saw my life pass before my eyes as I stood there in shock. I kept thinking, 'Is this real?' I couldn't concentrate and started to shake," the winner explained. "The clerk, who was very excited for me, helped calm me down so I could go back to my car without worrying my mom that something was wrong."

The shock didn't allow the $60 million lotto max winner to share the news instantly. Instead, she might've experienced a stressful and awkward car ride home.

Talachi told OLG that she drove for 30 minutes home with her mom and didn't say anything about the news the whole time.

Once she got home, Talachi "stopped to pray for a moment and then, what felt like an out-of-body experience, I said the words, 'I am the big lottery winner in Richmond Hill!' My sister thought I was kidding. But when I started jumping up and down and cheering, she started to do the same. The entire family was overjoyed for me!"

Even though she's unsure what to do with all her wealth, the winner mentioned that she wants to create employment.

"I want to be an entrepreneur and create jobs, but I need to take the time to figure out how to do this sustainably," she explained.