Man wins $40 million lottery prize in Canada, buys coworkers pizza and says goodbye

A Quebec man who won half of the $80 million Lotto Max jackpot last week bought his coworkers pizza and said goodbye.

Loto-Québec said in a news release that 60-year-old Montreal resident Jean Lamontagne had one of the two winning tickets for the Dec. 3 draw, meaning he won $40 million.

The other ticket was sold in Alberta.

Lamontagne was at work when he decided to check his tickets and discovered his massive prize.

“He shared the news with his bosses first, adding that he’d take advantage of the windfall to retire earlier than planned,” the release said.

“As he’s very close to his colleagues, Lamontagne returned to his workplace a few days later to treat them to a pizza lunch and say farewell.”

Lamontagne plans to invest part of the money in real estate and purchase multiplexes for his children, brother and sisters-in-law.

He is also looking to head to Europe for a lengthy trip.

“We’re always delighted to award a jackpot, but it’s even more heartwarming to do so just before the holidays,” Loto-Québec president and CEO Jean-François Bergeron said.

Back in September, half of an $80 million Lotto Max jackpot was also won by a Quebec ticketholder.