Toronto Lotto Max $40M winner first thought she won $40K
A Toronto woman is still coming to terms with the fact that she won $40 million over the weekend, a windfall that will allow her to visit Hawaii, buy property and celebrate with family at a popular buffet restaurant.
Maria Carreiro spoke to the media on Monday, after the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation publicly identified her as the winner of last Friday’s Lotto Max jackpot draw.
When the 51-year-old grandmother of five initially went to check her ticket, she mistakenly thought she had won $40,000.
But as it turned out, that was just a paltry 0.1 per cent of her total $40-million winnings.
"I went home and I told my daughter, 'Oh, I won $40,000! I won $40,000!'" an excited Carreiro told reporters in Toronto.
She soon found out that the jackpot appeared to actually be $40 million. That prompted her to run back to the store "like a crazy woman" to check the ticket for a second time.
"It said $40 million and then I go: 'Oh my God,'" she said.
"And I ran back up the street, home and then I go: 'I need a glass of water.' So I drank a glass of water and said: 'Let me go sit down and relax.' And that was it."
Carreiro's husband didn't initially believe the news. But once the win had been confirmed, he quickly made plans to quit his job.
"He told his boss…'I am going to work with you Monday, after that I quit!'" she said.
Asked what her immediate plans were, Carreiro said she was going to treat her family to a meal at The Mandarin buffet chain.
"I am going to go for dinner with my whole family at The Mandarin, all you can eat!" Carreiro said.
"That’s what I'm going to do and then I am going to go home, take a shower and go to sleep."
