$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
For nearly two months, Doug and Enid Hannon of Lakefield kept a big secret from their entire family – a $70 million secret.
The couple, who have been married for 51 years, are Ontario's newest multi-millionaires after winning the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot in the February 20 draw.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Even though Enid purchased the Quick Pick Lotto Max ticket at a grocery store while on the way to their camp, it was Doug who discovered the big win the day after the draw, when he checked the ticket on the OLG App.
"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. 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," Doug said. He made sure dinner was ready when Enid got home and waited until after they ate to share the news.
"Doug told me to come into the computer room, and the OLG website was on the computer screen. He told me to check the numbers on the ticket. 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 had won $70 million," Enid said.
That's when the emotions let loose.
"We hugged and cried and started talking about this wonderful opportunity we now have to help family and others," she said.
The couple decided to keep this multi-million dollar win amongst themselves for a while – they even kept it a secret from their grown children and grandchildren.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
They agreed first to get financial and legal advice as they started to make some plans for the money.
Not telling anyone was difficult for Enid as she is very open and expressive with all who know her.
"Keeping this secret was killing me," she said.
About a week before collecting their prize at the winner celebration, Doug and Enid finally told their children and grandchildren about their good fortune. Everyone was in disbelief and extremely happy for them.
During the celebration, the couple shared a few of their plans for some of the money.
Doug, who loves the outdoors, said he wants to travel.
"I would like to travel across Canada to experience the beautiful nature of this country from coast to coast," Doug said.
Enid, who is about to retire, is excited about starting some long-awaited renovations to their home.
"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.
The couple both agree that the number one priority for this money is their family.
"Our family is most important; we want to share this with them. I want to ensure everyone is safe, secure and well taken care of."
They also plan to share some of their winnings with community causes close to their hearts.
At the end of the winner celebration, the Hannons decided to let the secret out to their extended family members. They invited them to a special family meeting where they revealed the $70 million win and a promise of a big family trip to celebrate together.
"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."
The winning ticket was purchased at Kinmount Independent Grocer on Kawartha Lakes County Rd 121 in Kinmount.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have told the court the accused unlawfully caused the death of four women, but argue he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Holocaust researchers use AI to search for unnamed victims
Researchers in Israel are turning to artificial intelligence to comb through piles of records to try to identify hundreds of thousands of Jewish people killed in the Holocaust whose names are missing from official memorials.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.