You don't have to live in a big city in Ontario to win big in the lottery.

That's what the residents of a small community in Alberta are telling themselves, after one of their own hit the $50-million Lotto Max jackpot.

A retired woman from a farming family in Irma, Alta., claimed her winning ticket at the village Co-Op over the weekend, sparking plenty of gossip in the small community of approximately 500, which is situated 177 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.

The winner is asking for her privacy for now, but there was no stopping the villagers from talking about the incident on Sunday.

"It's such a small amount of people if one person hears it, everyone hears it," Irma resident John Budd told CTV Edmonton. He added that the win will likely encourage others in the village to try their own luck in the lottery.

"You always think it's always people in cities winning it, bigger places, especially out east," he said.

Kent Ericson, who was in the store when the woman turned in her winning ticket, says everyone was in shock when it happened.

"The young lady (behind the counter) said, 'I'm pretty sure you just won but I'm going to get my manager and just double check,'" Ericson said. "He checked and he kind of laughed and said, 'I don't think we'll be able to pay you out here.'"

With files from CTV Edmonton