One couple’s dream of winning the lottery finally came true, but they had a tough time believing it had become a reality.
Daniel Demers and Nathalie Doucet live in Mauricie, Québec. The couple often plays the lottery together, with Demers usually stopping at the store to buy their tickets and opting for the Extra option.
Demers recalled how he was checking their ticket one day when he saw that they had won a prize but couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“I checked it, and it showed me $1,000,020,” he recalled. At the time, Doucet wasn’t home, so he had to wait for her to return.
But when Doucet arrived, the look on her husband’s face made her panic, and she recalled thinking, “Oh no, oh no! He has bad news; things are not going well.”
That was until he handed her their ticket.
“Then he says, scan, scan the ticket,” she said. “I scanned the ticket, and there, I looked at the zeros. [I thought to myself] ‘Are these the correct zeros?’”
It turns out it was fortunate that Demers said yes to Extra when buying their ticket because they had won a $1 million prize in the June 7 draw.
But Doucet said she refused to believe it until she contacted Loto-Québec to confirm they won the life-changing prize.
While at the headquarters to claim their winnings, the couple said they would use the money to travel to Europe.
“We will probably visit places like Greece and Italy,” said Doucet while picking up their big cheque. They also want to share their fortune and use their windfall to spoil their children and grandchildren.
“At some point, we’re going to wake up,” she said. “It’s like we’re still sleeping.”
All forms of gambling, including the lottery, involve risk and outcomes are based on chance. Individuals are strongly advised to gamble responsibly. If you are experiencing any signs of gambling-related issues, you can find resources here.