18-year-old university student wins $48 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot

Feb 8, 2023, 8:12 am (14 comments)

Canada 6/49

First-ever lottery ticket leads teen to becoming youngest Canadian to win one of the game's largest prizes

By Kate Northrop

SAULT STE. MARIE, Canada — An 18-year-old university student won a $48 million (US$35.7 million) Lotto 6/49 jackpot on her first lottery ticket purchase ever.

Juliette Lamour, 18, recently became the youngest person to win one of the largest Lotto 6/49 prizes ever, and it was only her very first lottery ticket purchase.

Rumors were swirling in Sault Ste. Marie after the Ontario Lottery revealed on Jan. 8 that someone in the city had won the massive jackpot. The announcement had Lamour's workplace in a ticket-checking frenzy.

"Oh, I have one," the winner told her co-workers. Lamour, a pharmacist's assistant at the Rexall on Trunk Road in Sault, pulled out her ticket, and her boss checked it on his phone for her.

"It came up: 'Winner, Gagnant!'" Lamour recalled. "The pharmacist, his hands went to his head, he fell on his knees. He's like, 'Oh my God!'"

"I didn't understand what was going on at first," she continued. "I couldn't process this news. We kind of made a scene in the store that day!"

Nearly a month later on the morning of Fri., Feb. 3, the Algoma University student was presented as the sole winner of the Jan. 7 Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball drawing at a press conference. Being the youngest person in Canada to win a jackpot of this size, she had just turned the legal age to buy lottery tickets in Ontario.

She was on her way to visit her grandfather and bring him some ice cream on the day she bought her lifechanging ticket.

"I called him on the phone asking what kind of ice cream he wanted," the lifelong Sault resident related. "And he said to me, 'You just turned 18, go buy a lotto ticket, test your luck.' So I did."

She took her grandfather's suggestion to heart and stopped at the Circle K convenience store on McNabb Street in Sault Ste. Marie.

"I go to the corner store, and I'm in my car — and I didn't know how to buy it," she laughed as she recalled her first-ever lottery purchase. "So I had to call my dad. I said, 'Dad, Grandpa wants me to buy a lottery ticket. How do I do it?' He's like, 'Oh, just go inside and get a Quick Pick.'"

Call it beginner's luck or being in the right place at the right time, but that ticket was what led to a lottery drawing that would significantly impact her life.

The first person she called up was her mother, who was shrieking with joy for her daughter.

"She answered the phone, and I was like, 'I won the lottery!' She's like, 'No you didn't!'" she told the press.

While it may come as a surprise to many that the $48 million jackpot was won by someone so young, Lamour's identity was not actually a well-kept secret in her community. Word among high school and university students, many Lamour's peers, spread across social media. It took mere days for her name and age to become common knowledge in town.

"I hear that this is perhaps the worst-kept secret in all of Sault Ste. Marie," OLG President and CEO Duncan Hannay joked at the press conference while addressing the media. "I know it's a small community and word travels fast, but what I can tell you is that you don't know half the story. It's really a heartwarming and amazing story, and I think you'll all be blown away when you hear it."

Having recently graduated Superior Heights Collegiate and Vocational School as a student-athlete and member of the Steel City Ignite volleyball club, Lamour is studying biology at Algoma University with a goal of becoming a doctor.

"I plan to continue with a four-year program," the winner concluded. "And I would love to attend the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and come back to practice in Northern Ontario."

Not only does Lamour have luck on her side, but she has a trusted confidant and resource — her own father, Kevin, who worked as a longtime advisor and co-founded Our Financial Plans on Queen Street in 2018. Finding a financial advisor will be no problem for Lamour.

The winnings will undoubtedly help pay for her education as she pursues her dreams of becoming a doctor.

"As a member of the Garden River First Nation community, I was eligible for education assistance programs, but I no longer need those resources, which means someone else in the community can benefit from that funding," Lamour said. "I really want to come back to this area as a doctor so I can give back to my community."

Lamour says she also wants to use the winnings to "experience different countries, study their history and culture, try their food, and listen to their culture."

But figuring out the best way to allocate the money from her windfall will take time and thought, so she is in no rush.

"You know what, it's a lot," she explained. "I have to think about it. We're definitely going to keep friends and family in mind, and tonight, I'm still a university student, so I'm planning on finishing my biology report."

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

Thanks to Evan B. and Win$500Quick for the tip.

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Tony Numbers's avatarTony Numbers

Wow this story is just too perfect.

travelintrucker's avatartravelintrucker

I'm not going to lie. These first time player stories make me sick.

db101's avatardb101

I hope this kid manages to not get conned and sweet talked out of all her money, but there are so many red flags here. If she doesn't move out of small town Canada and stop blabbing, she'll be broke in 5 years.

CDanaT's avatarCDanaT

Great story. Congrats Juliette..... And a hearty kudos to Grandpa for making that suggestion..

"Oh, just go inside and get a Quick Pick"....lol....perfect, absolutely perfect advise, dad.

Lucky kid to have a father who has been in the financial advice field.

Raven62's avatarRaven62

Congrats to the Winner!

Think's avatarThink

Quote: Originally posted by Raven62 on Feb 8, 2023

Congrats to the Winner!

That picture looks like she is in Prison stripes

Think's avatarThink

Well that was easy!  $48 million...imagine all the lottery tickets you can buy with that!

Artist77's avatarArtist77

I hope she continues her education and gets those additional years of wisdom. An 18 year old is very different from a 22 year old.

PrisonerSix

Beginners' luck I guess.

I'm happy for her and hope she can make the money work for her now and in the future.

jessie0409

48 million tax free. Lucky girl .

Mata Garbo

So glad to hear that her father is a longtime financial planner. She also seems to be a very smart girl. After medical school she will be practicing medicine because she wants too, not because she needs the money. With occasional guidance from her father she will do great things with this money. Jason Curland, stay far away. Congrats to all involved. Great story.

🔬⬆️

JeetKuneDoLotto's avatarJeetKuneDoLotto

Just a tad jealous. Good luck with the winnings!

Artist77's avatarArtist77

For an 18 year old, she has great values and more common sense than much older lottery winners. Hopefully with her story, more lp members will understand why someone wants to keep their career if they win big money.

 I have never understood the sentiment of just disappear and  spend your winnings.

Prettyfacemiyy

#13

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