A Quebec grandmother is celebrating after a lottery ticket she purchased at a store owned by her daughter resulted in a life-changing prize.
Denise Bélanger lives in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region and one day decided to buy a ticket at the Dépanneur Métabetchouan in Métabetchouan-Lac-à-la-Croix. But it was no ordinary store — Bélanger’s daughter owns the convenience store.
Loto-Québec
She opted for a Lotto 6/49 and chose to play the same combination of numbers, just like she’s done for 35 years. The draw took place on Saturday, May 4, and the Gold Ball prize at the time was worth $42 million.
She was at the Cercle de Fermières the Monday after the draw when she found out that she had won the Lotto 6/49 White Ball prize after matching the winning number 68603191-01 — she was now $1 million richer.
Loto-Québec
During a ceremony held at her daughter’s store, Bélanger received her big cheque. And she’s not the only one receiving a windfall — the store will receive a commission of $10,000, equivalent to 1% of the winnings. And it’s not the first time the store sold a winning ticket either, in fact, it’s the third time.
Lotto 6/49 – Elle devient millionnaire avec un billet acheté au dépanneur de sa fille! (Groupe CNW/Loto-Québec)
In 2023, area resident Patrice Guérin became instantly $2 million richer after he won the 20X Supreme top prize. Before that, Roger Larouche purchased a ticket from the store in June 2021 and won an Extra prize worth $1 million.
Patrice Guérin also purchased his winning ticket at the Dépanneur Métabetchouan in Métabetchouan-Lac-à-la-Croix in 2023 (Loto Quebec)
Bélanger said she plans to use her winnings to help her children: she’ll help her daughter financially to build a new house and she wants to buy her son a truck. As for her grandchildren, she’ll be setting money aside for their education.
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.