Winner of $15 million lottery in Canada has been named

Gary Westhaver has been buying lottery tickets for as long as he can remember.

And finally, he has hit the jackpot.

The Atlantic Lottery Corporation announced Wednesday that the St. Margarets, New Brunswick resident was the winner of the Sept. 30 Lotto Max draw, with his ticket matching seven out of seven numbers.

READ MORE: $75 million prize claimed by one of Canada’s biggest lottery winners ever

The retired City of Miramichi employee has now claimed his $15 million prize.

(In the most recent Lotto Max draw on Tuesday, Oct. 7, one ticket again won a $15 million jackpot.)

Westhaver said he was shocked when he scanned his ticket on the ALC app and a “major win” message came up.

He didn’t know how much he won until he called the Atlantic Lottery.

“When I was told it was $15 million, I’m going to tell you, my stomach started to turn and my head started going,” Westhaver said.

Westhaver and his wife kept the win a secret until just before he got the big cheque.

And now, the couple said they plan to use the windfall to support their two grandchildren, possibly buy a new home near their current one, and support some local charities.

“Everybody needs, at times in their life, a bit of help. This is what we’re going to do,” Westhaver said.

“Any money we donate or give to anybody is going to be anonymous. I don’t need a pat on the back for helping somebody.”

Westhaver said he’s happy that the win will allow him to give back, but he and his wife will live their lives the same way.

“We just want to stay what we are, our lives can’t change,” he said.

“We have fun whatever we do. Laughter and humour is, I think, the most important thing in anybody’s life.”

Photo via the Atlantic Lottery Corporation