For almost two months, Doug and Enid Hannon of Lakefield kept a big secret from their entire family: a secret worth $70 million.
The couple, who have been married for 51 years, are Ontario’s newest billionaires after winning the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot in the Feb. 20 drawing.
During a special winners’ celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they had a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million in their hands and how they kept this big secret for so long.
Although Enid purchased the Quick Pick Lotto Max ticket at a grocery store while on her way to camp, it was Doug who discovered the big win the day after the drawing, when he checked the ticket on the OLG app.
“I was completely unaware that a winning ticket had been sold in our area. So when I saw ‘Big Winner’ on my phone screen, I was shaking. My heart was pounding. I had to look at it for a moment and process all those zeros. Then I had to check it a few more times.”
Doug, who has been retired for a few years, decided not to mention anything to his wife until she got home from work.
“I went to the garage and buried my head in some work while I struggled with disbelief and thought about our next steps,” Doug said. He made sure dinner was ready when Enid got home and waited until they finished eating to share the news.
“Doug told me to go into the computer room and the OLG website was on the computer screen. He told me to check the numbers on the ticket. When I realized we had won a prize, I first thought it was a $70,000 win. Doug told me to count all the zeros and that’s when I realized we had won $70 million,” Enid said.
That’s when the emotions let loose.
“We hugged each other, cried and started talking about this wonderful opportunity we now have to help the family and other people,” she said.
The couple decided to keep this multimillion-dollar profit between them for a while; They even kept it a secret from their older children and grandchildren.
They first agreed to get financial and legal advice while they began to make some plans for the money.
Not telling anyone was difficult for Enid, as she is very open and expressive with everyone who knows her.
“Keeping this secret was killing me,” he said.
About a week before collecting their prize at the winner’s celebration, Doug and Enid finally told their children and grandchildren of their good fortune. Everyone was in disbelief and very happy for them.
During the celebration, the couple shared some of their plans for some of the money.
Doug, who loves the outdoors, said he wants to travel.
“I would like to travel across Canada to experience the beautiful nature of this country from coast to coast,” Doug said.
Enid, who is nearing retirement, is excited to begin some long-awaited renovations to her home.
“I’ve been dreaming of a new kitchen for years and now I’m getting it, along with some other improvements around the house, because we love where we live and we don’t want to move,” she said.
The couple agrees that the number one priority for this money is their family.
“Our family is the most important thing; we want to share this with them. I want to make sure everyone is safe and well taken care of.”
They also plan to share some of their profits with community causes close to their hearts.
At the end of the winner’s celebration, the Hannons decided to tell their family members the secret. They were invited to a special family gathering where they revealed the $70 million win and the promise of a big family trip to celebrate together.
“This is truly a blessing for us and our family,” Enid and Doug said. “Like many people, you always hope to win the lottery, but we never imagined this would happen to us. We are very grateful.”
The winning ticket was purchased at Kinmount Independent Grocer on Kawartha Lakes County Rd 121 in Kinmount.