Five co-workers in the Greater Toronto Area win $60-million Lotto Max jackpot

A group of five from coworkers from the Greater Toronto Area collect their $60 million lottery prize. (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.)

A group of five co-workers from the Greater Toronto Area who purchased a lottery ticket to mark the Lunar New Year have won a $60 million jackpot.

In a news release, the OLG announced that the group won the jackpot in a Jan. 21 Lotto Max draw. The ticket was purchased by Trang Pham, of Mississauga, on behalf of the group. Pham was inspired to purchase a ticket for the draw due to the Lunar New Year. In Asian culture, the time of year is associated with family, good fortune and health.

“About a week before Lunar New Year, I was buying creamer for the office and thought I’d pick up a ticket for the group,” Pham said in the news release.

Phan purchased the ticket from an Etobicoke Giant Tiger, on Kipling Avenue.

She discovered that the group won the next day, when she saw the news that the winning ticket had been sold in Etobicoke.

Each co-worker will now receive a $12 million cheque. Pham is joined by Soung Tran of Mississauga, Phong Phan of Brampton, Thuc Le of Toronto and Zou Hsieh of Scarborough.

“I was in a parking lot when the text came in. I thought Trang was teasing us, so I called her,” Soung Tran said. “When she confirmed it wasn’t a joke, I started shaking and crying tears of joy.”

Zou Hsieh and Thuc Le both said they were unable to eat or sleep for a couple of days after hearing the news that they were now multimillionaires.

The reality fully set in when Jim Warren, the chair of the OLG’s board of directors, presented the $60 million cheque. Warren even used a giant red envelope, to echo the tradition of how gifts are given during the Lunar New Year.

The five co-workers will now use their money as they see fit.

Soung Tran is taking her time to decide what comes next.

“I have many causes that are special to me that I want to support, so I’ll calmly consider all options before making any big decisions.”

However, the other members already have ideas of exactly where their money will go.

Pham wants to buy a house for her family.

“Purchasing a home has been a dream of mine since my parents relocated to Canada. They made so many sacrifices for me, and now it’s my time to take care of them. I also plan to make some investments and tap into my inner philanthropist.”

Thuc Le wants to buy a house for her mom, and share the winnings with her family, “and will also treat myself to a new car.”

Zou Hsieh and Phong Phan both plan to travel. While Phan says he is too young to retire, Hsieh already made up his mind to retire.

“Last year, I was worried about retiring, but now I don’t have to. I want to start travelling the world and see it all. I really hope to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights along the way.”