A Calgary man who won a $40-million lottery jackpot says he will donate every cent to charity.
Tom Crist found out that he’d won the Lotto Max jackpot in May, but did not claim it until Monday. For months, he didn’t tell anyone about his big win – not even his kids.
Crist told CTV Calgary that he is putting the money into a family foundation he started, which will distribute funds among charities he chooses to support.
He told other media outlets that cancer charities will be on the list, because he lost his wife to cancer two years ago.
Crist plays both Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 by subscription, paying for his tickets a year at a time. The numbers on his tickets are checked by the Western Canada Lottery Corporation after each draw.
Crist said he was on a golf course in Palm Springs, Calif., when he received a call last spring telling him he’d won $40 million.
After the initial shock, he said he put the prize out of his mind, deciding to “deal with it” down the road.
With a report from CTV Calgary
