LONDON, ONT. -- A record $70-million prize has Londoners caught up in lotto fever.
Friday’s Lotto Max jackpot has reached the highest amount, for any lottery prize, in Canadian history.
Along with $70 million a further 10 Maxmillions draws of $1 million each are also up for grabs.
At the Cherryhill Village Mall lottery kiosk, popular with the surrounding senior community, many are dropping at least $5 to play.
Merv Carter, 82, says he wouldn’t miss the chance after seeing London’s recent million-dollar winners on CTV News.
“Yeah, one of the guys I worked with just won that million last week.”
Meanwhile, Robert Black was checking his previous week’s tickets at the kiosk, and while he didn’t win multi-millions, he did collect enough to buy into the Lotto Max draw.
Black has been a lottery winner in the past.
“I had all the numbers one time. I paid $2 for the ticket, and I got $2,888, but someone else had the bonus number. Still, I was still happy with my $2,888.”
It could be argued Black and Carter are playing at the right place.
Maureen, a long-time kiosk employee, says the spot in Cherryhill has sold major winning tickets in recent years.
“The last one was $3.5 million, and the biggest one was $18 million.”
Still when asked what they’d do with the money should they win, most seniors had the same answers as Carol, who was buying tickets with a friend.
“I think you’d have to give a lot of it away. You’d be making a lot of donations this year. That would be great.”
Other we spoke with stated they’d treat family to a better life.
