Ontario couple kept $70M lottery win a secret from family for two months
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It was an Ontario couple’s multimillion-dollar secret.
Doug and Enid Hannon kept their $70-million Lotto Max jackpot win under wraps from the rest of their family for two months.
Ontario Lottery and Gaming said Thursday that the couple from Lakefield, near Peterborough, won the Feb. 20 draw but didn’t claim the prize until this month so that they could celebrate with their immediate and extended family in attendance.
Although Enid had purchased a quick pick ticket at a grocery store while on the way to their “camp,” it was Doug who checked the numbers the next day on the OLG app and discovered they were suddenly millionaires.
“I was completely unaware that a winning ticket had been sold in our area,” Doug, who is retired, told OLG. “So, when I saw ‘Big Winner’ on the phone screen, I was shaking. 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.”
Enid wasn’t told about the winning ticket until she got home from work as her husband made sure to prepare a meal ahead of the happy news.
“I went to the garage and buried my head in some work while I struggled with disbelief and thought about our next steps,” he said.
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Following dinner that evening, he finally shared the news of their lottery winnings.
“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,” she said. “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.”
They hugged and cried before talking about how the money will help take care of them and their extended family.
A week before claiming the jackpot, the couple finally divulged their secret to their children and grandchildren at a “special family meeting.” They were in disbelief and also extremely happy for the couple.
The Hannons have come up with some ideas on how to spend the lottery windfall.
“I would like to travel across Canada to experience the beautiful nature of this country from coast to coast,” Doug said.
However, Enid has more practical uses for the money.
“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,” she said.
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