One of two winners of the $80 million Lotto Max a few weeks ago was a Manitoba man who bought the ticket while visiting in Alberta.
Matthew Tannas is a firefighter in the tiny town of Hamiota, about 280 kilometres west of Winnipeg, but also works as a big game hunting guide in Alberta.
He was within Alberta when he logged into his Lotto Spot App and bought a ticket for the Dec. 3 draw.
“I remember seeing (the jackpot) was $80 million and thinking, ‘I’d better buy a ticket’,” said Tannas. “Just because it was an online ticket, it was hard to believe seeing it on my phone, I had to double check.”
Tannas says the big win means all his kids will be able to go to University now. He also plans on getting a new truck and visiting his sister in Nova Scotia.
“I’m making sure all of my kids have reliable vehicles — my daughter’s ’89 Jeep is getting restored now,” he says. “Other than that, we’re going to invest this carefully.”
The Western Canada Lottery Corporation says it’s the largest prize ever won through their app and fourth-largest prize ever won by a Manitoban.
The other $40 million winning ticket was bought in Quebec.