Lotto Max Winner Gregory Mathieu: The 22-Year-Old With $70 Million in the Bank

Working on a day-to-day basis can often be frustrating, especially for those of us working minimum-wage jobs and barely scraping by. Playing the lottery can feel like an escape from that; after all, it’s easy to get carried away in fantasising how we’d spend millions of dollars if we were lucky enough to play the right numbers. Luckily for Canada Lotto Max winner Gregory Mathieu, such dreams turned into his reality when he found out he’d hit the jackpot.

Winning the Loto-Québec

Gregory Mathieu, a 22-year-old Quebec resident, was used to his normal routine of working at his local IGA and driving a car on the brink of breaking down. Still, he played the lottery as many other hopeful people do, even when it seemed hopeless. At the end of a long work night, Gregory purchased a Lotto Max ticket for the February 25, 2020, draw per his mother’s request. When he arrived at work the next morning, Gregory asked one of his co-workers to scan his Lotto Max ticket to see if he was a winner. To his surprise, he was a winner, and the jackpot was an outstanding $70 million—making him the second winner in Canadian lotto history to win the game's top prize. Remarkably enough, the first winner to win this large amount, Adlin Lewis, scooped up his prize just one month prior.

The excitement overwhelmed him, to the point that he had to sit down. He immediately called his family, and by the time they’d arrived, he was crying and shaking; slowly, the reality was settling in. He had actually won the largest jackpot the Quebec Lotto had ever seen.

How Did Gregory Mathieu Spend His Winnings?

Naturally, Gregory was eager to buy a new car to replace his old one, which he’d left covered in snow in IGA’s parking lot the day of his win. Beyond that, he planned to split his winnings with his family of seven, as well as go on a well-deserved family vacation with them. As the winner stated, “I know that money does not buy happiness, but the family brings happiness.”

Admittedly, he acknowledged he didn’t have many specific plans. He was just eager to not have to live paycheque to paycheque on his $12.55/hr salary.

Conclusion

All lottery winners had lives before they won, and for most, they certainly were not used to living luxuriously. It can be easy to forget that even most millionaires started as normal people, too—leading lives full of hard work and modesty. Gregory Mathieu may be worth $70m now, but just months ago, he was merely making enough money to survive. Let that be a lesson in hope next time you play the lottery. You may just be the next lucky individual to take home a fortune—and depending on your age, possibly even join the ranks of the youngest winners.