A couple from Alberta, Canada, came forward on Tuesday and claimed their CAD$ 50 million prize over seven months after the draw.
Edmonton residents Bill and Andrea Groner scooped the Canada Lotto Max jackpot on December 20, 2013. The mammoth prize is the largest ever to be won on an Edmonton ticket, and the couple discovered they'd won within a couple of days of the draw, but deliberately held off claiming their prize.
Explaining to lottery officials, Andrea admitted she'd checked the ticket with a self-scanner at the local mall on December 22.
"When I checked the ticket, the first thing I should have had was my glasses on. I didn't have those with me," Andrea said. "I had to get the retail clerk there to tell me what it said on the self-scanner. She was more excited than I was at the time. I was in disbelief."
Andrea shared the good news with Bill the moment she arrived home and the couple have been guarding their secret ever since.
"We had to maintain a normal lifestyle until we could get all our ducks in a row that we had to take care of in our own lives," Andrea said.
The Groners have been married for over 25 years, but never had a honeymoon so a belated trip is already on the cards. The couple also plans to help out family and friends and donate some money to charity, but they are not in a rush to go out on a spending spree.
"We've got our whole lives to think what we’re going to do with the win. It's not anything we're going to rush into," Andrea said.
