String of bad luck turns into joyous payday

By Kate Northrop

SAINT-HYACINTHE, Canada — A Canadian man was having the worst day when one lottery ticket ended his string of bad luck, winning him a $1 million (US$724,795) prize.

A lottery ticket instantly turned a Québec man's miserable day around after he discovered it had won a $1 million Lotto 6/49 prize.

One day in August, Marcel Charette of Montérégie realized he was out of milk. He got in his car and drove to the Dépanneur Ste-Rosalie convenience store on Rue des Seigneurs E in Saint-Hyacinthe to buy some more.

While he was there, he thought to purchase a Lotto 6/49 ticket, which, unbeknownst to him at the time, would lift his spirits after a sour series of events. He scribbled an asterisk on the ticket to recognize it later.

When he returned to his car, he accidentally broke his key when inserting it into the door lock. Stranded with no other choice, he walked back home in the pouring rain to pick up his extra set of keys.

Charette visited the convenience store a few days later and handed the clerk the Lotto 6/49 ticket he had bought on that miserable day. He watched her freeze and stare at the ticket upon scanning it.

"I figured it had to be more than $50!" he quipped in an interview with the Québec Lottery.

The cashier gave the ticket back to him, and he saw several zeros. "It's serious," he said.

"It doesn't change the world, but it changes a life," Charette continued.

Charette's first priority is buying a house. His real estate agent admitted to him that he had never played the lottery before, but seeing Charette's win convinced him to buy some tickets himself.

"It shows everyone that anyone can win," the winner related.

Charette's Lotto 6/49 ticket won the guaranteed $1 million White Ball prize in the Gold Ball Draw on Aug. 31, 2024.

Lotto 6/49 drawings take place on Wednesday and Saturdays at 10:30 pm ET. Tickets cost $3 each. All winning numbers, odds, and prize amounts can be found on Lottery Post's Multi-Province Lottery Results page.