Woman wins lottery jackpot in Canada after playing same numbers for 30 years

A woman has finally hit a lottery jackpot after playing the same numbers for around 30 years.

The Atlantic Lottery Corporation said Denise Berube from Saint-André, New Brunswick won the $5 million classic jackpot in the March 26 Lotto 6/49 draw.

“I’ve been playing Lotto 6/49 for a very long time, always with the same numbers that I chose a long time ago because they each had a significance,” Berube said in a news release.

“Some numbers I do still remember why I picked them, but a few others I don’t remember why. It’s been that long that I’ve been playing the same numbers.”

A birthdate, a jersey number she wore in high school, and the age at which she dreamed of retiring were among the reasons.

Denise Berube and her husband. (Courtesy of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation)

“I went on the website and saw I had a winner, and when I opened the ticket, I saw all those zeros, so I looked at the numbers and they were really my numbers,” she said.

“I went to the winning numbers to confirm again that those were my numbers, and I was in shock. I said, ‘Oh my God, I won the lotto.’”

She purchased the ticket on alc.ca.

Berube didn’t retire at the age she hoped, but she did retire last year and now the win will allow her to enjoy it even more.

Travelling with her husband and sisters is among her plans, with a trip to Africa at the top of her list, the release said.