Young family from northern Ontario wins $70 million Lotto Max jackpot
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.
It was Kyle Murray's first time buying a lottery ticket in Canada, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. said in a news release Monday.
Jennifer Stuart-Flynn and Kyle Murray of Iroquois Falls won the $70 million jackpot in the Aug. 20, 2024 Lotto Max draw. (OLG)
He and his wife, Jennifer Stuart-Flynn, live in Iroquois Falls and had just returned home from the Toronto hospital where their baby was born after a high-risk pregnancy.
"Kyle was waiting at the Timmins airport to pick up his mother, who was coming to help with the newborn," OLG said.
"That’s when Jennifer texted Kyle, asking him to purchase a Lotto Max ticket after seeing on social media that the jackpot was at $70 million."
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
The morning after the draw, Stuart-Flynn, 33, said she checked the ticket with the lottery app on her phone after hearing the ticket was sold in their region.
"I … heard the 'Winner/Gagnant' win tone,” she said.
"I was in shock and not processing what was happening, so I shut down the OLG App and reopened it. I checked the ticket again and heard the same thing. That’s when I called out to Kyle."
Not regular lottery players, Stuart-Flynn said she has maybe bought five or six tickets in her life.
Murray, 39, said when he saw '$70 million winner,' he felt light-headed.
"Everything for us has seemed to come in threes, the good, the bad and this was the most positive threes from the start, where we had our newborn to my husband's promotion and now, winning the lottery, I am so grateful," his wife said in an interview with OLG.
To celebrate, the couple took their kids and Murray's mom out to eat at a local restaurant.
"We wanted to shout the news, but we knew that in our small town, this type of news would travel very fast. We had to be careful not to spill the beans throughout the entire dinner," Stuart-Flynn said.
When the couple picked up their winnings at the Toronto prize centre, Murray told officials the last few years have been a struggle for his family.
"Everything we did was to make a better life for the kids," he said.
Stuart-Flynn said realizing that her kids "are going to have a much better life than I had," makes her emotional.
"They are set and won’t have to wonder or worry about anything anymore," she said.
One of the things they are going to do with the money is buy her sister a house.
"I love her and she is the greatest person in the world and she deserves it," Stuart-Flynn said.
Murray said he wants to buy land and build a "little farm."
He bought the winning ticket at the Esso gas station on Algonquin Boulevard in Timmins.
The store that sold the winning lottery ticket is rewarded for selling the one, OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti told CTV News in an interview.
"They do get a little bump in commission, between $2,000 and $3,000, depending on how many times the jackpot has rolled," Bitonti said.
OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti speaks with CTV News on September 16, 2024. (Lydia Chubak/CTV News Northern Ontario)
"There's a formulation for that, though, too. But regardless, if they sell these big jackpot winning tickets or not, it's still getting 8 per cent commission overall and to share in $330 million in commissions is quite good."
This was the sixth consective jackpot won in Ontario this year.
Recently, the OLG decided to increase the Lotto Max jackpot to $80 million.
With last Friday’s jackpot reaching $75 million for the first time and no winner, this Tuesday’s draw will set a new record with an $80 million jackpot.
Playsmart offers information on gambling games.
If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, help is available.
With files from CTVNorthernOntario.ca journalist Lydia Chubak
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc MPs will vote confidence in Liberal government next week: Blanchet
The Conservatives' first shot at toppling the Liberal government is likely doomed to fail, after Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet told reporters his MPs will vote confidence in the government.
Here's why you should get all your vaccines as soon as possible
With all these shots, some Canadians may have questions about the benefit of each vaccine, whether they should get every shot and how often to get them, and if it's safe to get them all at once or if they should space them out.
Teen faces new charge in Sask. high school arson attack
A 14-year-old student who allegedly set her classmate on fire is facing a new charge.
'I'm here for the Porsche': Video shows brazen car theft in Mississauga
Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.
First-of-its-kind facility hopes to launch Canada into rare earths market
A Saskatchewan organization is breaking ground as the first to commercially produce rare earth metals in North America.
Jeremy Dutcher makes Canadian music history
Jeremy Dutcher made Canadian music history Tuesday night by winning a second Polaris Music Prize for his second album, Motewolonuwok.
Exploding electronic devices kill 20, wound 450 in second day of explosions in Lebanon
Lebanon's health ministry said Wednesday that at least 20 people were killed and 450 others wounded by exploding electronic devices in multiple regions of the country. The explosions came a day after an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000. Here are the latest updates.
RCMP feared they didn't have enough evidence to hold terror suspect sought by U.S.
Court documents filed in the case of a Pakistani man arrested in Quebec for an alleged plot to kill Jews in New York City reveal the RCMP didn't have enough evidence to hold him in Canada.
Federal government to further limit number of international students
The federal government will be further limiting the number of international students permitted to enter Canada next year. It’s the government’s latest immigration-related measure to address Canadians' ongoing housing and affordability concerns.