Woman finds $40 million in her bank account after lottery win in Canada

A retired Ontario woman now has a bank account balance that very few people will ever experience in their lifetime.

“Forty million, 107 dollars, and 93 cents. It’s gone up quite a bit,” Elizabeth Trafford said after logging into her banking app.

Tafford won a $40 million Lotto Max jackpot last month, taking home the massive prize from the Dec. 10 draw, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) said in a news release.

The Fergus, Ont., resident said that every Saturday, she has a routine where she takes her dog for a walk and then drives to a nearby store to fill her gas tank, get a newspaper and check her lottery tickets.

“The first ticket I checked at the lottery terminal wasn’t a winner, but the second one ‘blew up’ the machine, and all I saw was ‘Big Winner!’” she said in the release.

“I spoke with an OLG representative who called the store. When they told me exactly how much I’d won, I started to hyperventilate.”

Tafford went to her car and immediately called her son, who initially couldn’t believe what she was saying, thinking it was a joke.

After the initial shock, a few days later she gathered professionals to help her navigate with the win.

Tafford also became concerned about the security of the winning ticket.

“I realized this little slip of paper with quick pick numbers which I’d paid $6 for was now worth $40 million,” she said.

But she has since been confirmed as the official winner and the funds are in her account.

Now, Tafford is settling into her big win with enthusiasm.

“I see myself as a steward of this money. There’s so much good I can do with this windfall, and I want to give back in a meaningful way,” she said.

“In the coming months, I’ll work with the team I’ve gathered to identify and prioritize the causes and interests that are near and dear to me.”

Among her top priorities is getting her son a nice house.

“I’m also comforted by the fact that he will inherit this legacy. It’s important to know that this will go on,” Tafford said.

She also now plans to travel.

“I can now consider exotic places, and I think to myself, ‘I can actually do that now,’” she said.

Prior to her win, she had already planned a trip to South Africa and now has added a few more African countries to her list.

She bought the winning ticket at in Fergus at Blinkhorn’s Corner Variety on St. David Street North.