Jean Lamontagne was at work in a factory on Dec. 3 when his phone buzzed with news that would forever change his life.
Jean Lamontagne was at work in a factory on Dec. 3 when his phone buzzed with news that would forever change his life. Checking his Lotto Max ticket online, he discovered he had won an astonishing $40 million.
His first reaction? Turn his phone off and back on because surely there had to have been a mistake.
“I started shaking,” Lamontagne said, recalling the moment he double-checked his numbers.
To be sure he had won, he said, he called a friend who works at Loto-Québec and it was confirmed. A seasoned online lottery player, Lamontagne always opts for the Double Jeu Max feature, playing with the same numbers. But even years of playing couldn’t prepare him for this life-altering moment.
In his shock, he wandered straight into the office of the factory’s president and announced his early retirement. The moment was punctuated by an uncharacteristic hug. His boss, though stunned, was supportive.
“Good luck, go home,” he told Lamontagne, even offering to call him a taxi.
He would say farewell to his coworkers over a pizza on him just days later and, with that, the factory worker’s journey into multimillionaire status began.
On Monday, Lamontagne joined the media at a press conference at the Casino de Montréal to announce his jackpot winnings publicly. He showed up with a fresh pair of shoes, a nod to the tradition of Canadian finance ministers wearing new footwear on budget day.
“Like any good minister, I have the budget,” he joked. “It’s going to be a good year.”
The event host was quick to dub him the real minister of finance.
However, the 60-year-old Quebecer says he has no plans to let the windfall go to his head.
“It’s going to be a normal Christmas with normal gifts,” Lamontagne insisted. “Just me and my family spending magical moments together.”
“I’m going to stay earthbound,” he said, before adding that he also plans to invest in real estate to secure his children’s financial future.
But “normal” could be a stretch when Bora Bora is on the horizon. Lamontagne also plans to treat himself and family to a European tour and head to the sun-soaked beaches of the South Pacific.
“This is what dreams are made of,” said Jean-François Bergeron, CEO of Loto-Québec. “We’re thrilled to help Quebecers like Mr. Lamontagne make their long-held dreams come true.”
Loto-Québec’s Isabelle Jean, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of lottery games, highlighted the remarkable streak of major wins in the province. These include jackpots of $50 million and $32 million in September, plus three $5-million prizes and two Grande Vie winners claiming $1,000 a day for life.
In total, over $1 billion in prizes has been awarded across Quebec this year alone, making more than 90 millionaires, Loto-Québec said.
Lamontagne’s $40-million win took half of the $80-million Lotto Max jackpot. In September, another person in Quebec snagged a similar jackpot.
And does the new multimillionaire advise sticking with the same numbers each time?
“No, no,” he said with a laugh, then adding that he always does. Or did.