N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
According to a news release from Atlantic Lottery, Merel Chiasson from Bas-Caraquet won $64 million from Lotto 6/49 on Thursday, claiming the massive prize only 19 days before it was due to expire.
The winning Gold Ball Jackpot was drawn on April 15, 2023, but Chiasson didn’t expect he was the winner, keeping his ticket with a collection of others at home.
“I’ve always done it like that and I never thought I would win big, so I leave the tickets there and didn’t worry too much about it,” he said in the release.
Atlantic Lottery recently filmed a commercial in the Gloucester County area featuring a golden town crier urging people to check their tickets.
“We didn’t give up hope that we were going to be able to meet them," Molly Cormier, director of brand and communications with Atlantic Lottery, told CTV News Atlantic. "We put out public awareness. We were constantly trying to remind the public to check their tickets. We’re just so over the moon excited that it’s concluded in this way."
If Chiasson hadn't collected the prize, the money would have gone back into Atlantic Lottery's prize pool.
Atlantic Lottery players buying tickets at a Kiosk at CF Champlain mall were amazed by the story.
“I don’t know how he felt, but I would cry my eyes out. I would have balled and just fell to my knees,” said Rene Legere.
Rob Anston thinks luck was on Chiasson’s side.
“I think he’s probably lucky twice in his life,” said Anston. “The other big question on my mind is how much interest did he lose in one year?”
Murielle Gagne-Ouellette would think of her family first if she had won $64 million, but perhaps not right away.
“First of all, I’d hide, but then after that, well of course the family would receive some chunks, but also I would open a foundation. A foundation either for children or for low-income housing for people,” said Gagne-Ouellette.
Chiasson, a crab fisherman for 40 years, said he’ll use the money to fully retire and help out his family.
“I don’t want anything big,” he said. “It’s not going to change me, I’m still the same person.”
For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Zendaya tennis movie ‘Challengers’ scores at weekend box office
Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino's original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
BREAKING Quebec to invest $603 million to protect the French language
Quebec will invest $603 million over five years to counter the decline of French in the province, French Language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Sunday.
Key mediator Qatar urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a cease-fire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a ceasefire in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.