Lakefield Couple Win Lotto Max Jackpot of $70 Million

Doug and Enid Hannon of Lakefield have hit the Lotto Max jackpot and have found themselves $70 million richer announced by Ontario Lottery Gaming (OLG) on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of OLG.

The win was from the Feb. 20 draw with their winning ticket purchased at the Kinmount Independent Grocer on Kawartha Lakes County Rd 121.

The couple originally kept their win a secret for several months before telling their friends and family.

Enid purchased the winning ticket on their way to their ‘camp,’ however, Doug discovered the big win the day after the draw.

“I was completely unaware that a winning ticket had been sold in our area. So, when I saw ‘Big Winner’ on the phone screen, I was shaking,” said Doug. “My heart was pounding. I had to stare at it for a while and process all those zeroes. Then I had to check it a few more times."

Doug, who has been retired for a few years, decided not to mention anything to his wife until she got home from work.

“I went to the garage and buried my head in some work while I struggled with disbelief and thought about our next steps,” said Doug.

He waited until dinner time to surprised Enid with the news.

“Doug told me to come into the computer room and the OLG website was on the computer screen, and he told me to check the numbers on ticket,” explained Enid. “When I realized we had won a prize, I first thought it was a $70,000 win. Doug told me to recount all the zeros and that’s when it hit me that we won $70 million!”

The couple decided to keep this multi-million dollar win a secret for a while. They agreed first to get financial and legal advice as they started making some money plans. Not telling anyone was very difficult for Enid as she is very open and expressive with all who know her.

“Keeping this secret was killing me,” she laughed.

A week prior to collecting their winnings, the Lakefield couple told their children and grandchildren about the huge win where everyone was in disbelief and extremely happy for them.

The married couple of 51 years have already made some plans with the money.

“I would like to travel across Canada to experience the beautiful nature of this country from coast to coast,” said Doug.

“I have been dreaming about a new kitchen for years and now I will get it, along with some other improvements to the house because we love where we live and we don’t want to move,” explained Anid.

However, the couple both agree that the number one priority for this money is their family.

“Our family is most important and we want to share this with them. I want to ensure everyone is safe, secure and well taken care of,” said both Doug and Anid.

They also want to share a portion of their winnings with some community causes that are close to them.

“This is truly a blessing for us and our family,” said Enid and Doug. “Like many people, you always hope to win the lottery, but we never dreamt this would happen to us! We are so very thankful.”

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