A Filipina working in Canada has won the $39.5-million Lotto Max jackpot in a raffle draw held last December 28, 2018 – and it was a lucky pick!
A mother of three, Michelle De Roma was out shopping on Boxing Day at the Tsawwassen Mills outlet mall on Tsawwassen First Nations land, in Delta, British Columbia.
De Roma regularly plays the lottery on an almost weekly basis.
On December 26, she bought a ticket with numbers that were randomly generated through a quick pick for the December 28 draw. Amazingly, the machine’s quick pick turned out to be a lucky pick as her ticket had all the 7 winning numbers!
While she already knew that she won the lottery, she didn’t immediately come forward to claim the prize. Instead, she told her husband about the ticket and they placed it inside an envelope for safekeeping.
It was only a week later that they finally claimed their prize.
“This will change our life,” De Roma declared in a press conference held after she finally came forward to cash-in the winning ticket.
As a regular player, De Roma had always wished she would win. She would pray for a ‘miracle’ but it took many years before her wish came true – but the jackpot prize was certainly the best thing that could ever happen to anyone.
According to De Roma, she plans to use the money to build a good life for her family, especially for her three children. The overseas Filipino worker (OFW) also plans on taking her family to Rome, to take a tour of the Colosseum and visit the famous St. Peter’s Basilica.
Though the win was quite a huge one, with $39.5 million actually being worth over Php2 billion, De Roma said she still plans on buying more lottery tickets in the future.
Image credits: Prince George Citizen, CTV News Vancouver
