Winning ticket sat in his wallet for over a month

By Kate Northrop

A Canadian man was already celebrating a momentous occasion when he rediscovered a forgotten Lotto Max lottery ticket in his wallet worth $20 million (US$16.15 million).

Jerry Knot, of Wasagamack, was in good spirits at his daughter's wedding in Winnipeg, but there was plenty more to celebrate when he learned that the disregarded lottery ticket in his pocket was a $20 million winner.

Back in August, Knott bought a Lotto Max ticket at Drifters Restaurant & Service Centre on Provincial Trunk Highway 11 in Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba. Once he put the ticket in his wallet, it was out of sight and out of mind for over a month.

His daughter's wedding brought him to Winnipeg, where he thought to check the ticket at a local store.

"I saw a two a bunch of zeroes and thought, 'Cool, I won $20,000,'" Knott said in a press release.

But the cashier gave him a much more incredulous look.

"The store retailer looked at me with wide eyes and said, 'This is the missing ticket!'" Knott recalled. "I didn't know what she was talking about until she scanned it again, and I saw there were a few more zeroes than I had originally thought. That's 20 and six zeroes — $20 million!"

The winning ticket was for the Lotto Max drawing that took place on Aug. 24, 2021 and matched all seven winning numbers, 1, 24, 26, 29, 30, 45, and 50.

Now a multi-millionaire, Knott told the Western Canada Lottery that he wants to put the prize money toward a dream project that he had already been developing with his family on Big Stone Lake in northern Manitoba prior to the win.

"A while ago, my father set up some reserve status land on Big Stone Lake," the winner explained. "My brother and I decided to build some cottages on the lake to be used as a treatment center or a wilderness experience. We were inspired by all of the big companies that have come up north to build remote fly-in fishing resorts."

While the winnings will help him and his family complete the monumental project, he'll also be sharing the windfall with his wife and kids.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Jerry Knott bought a Lotto Max ticket in Lac du Bonnet in August, tucked it in his wallet, and forgot all about it until this month — when he remembered to scan his ticket while visiting a gas station.

Thanks to rdgrnr for the tip.