Five GTA construction company workers share $60 million lottery win

Article content

A group of five construction company co-workers from the GTA are sharing a $60-million lottery windfall after buying a ticket right before the start of the Lunar New Year.

Article content

Article content

Article content

The holiday is a special time in Asian culture, traditionally associated with family, good fortune, health, and prosperity for the year ahead.

The fivesome — Trang Pham and Suong Tran of Mississauga, Phong Phan of Brampton, Thuc Le of Toronto, and Zou Hsieh of Scarborough — won the Lotto Max jackpot from the Jan. 21, 2025 draw after group leader Pham suggested they buy a ticket.

“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 told Ontario Lottery and Gaming officials.

The very next day, the group discovered they’d won the jackpot.

“I saw in the news that the $60-million Lotto Max winning ticket had been sold in Etobicoke, so I checked ours right away,” Pham said.

Article content

Article content

“I reviewed the numbers myself and saw that one of the lines matched exactly. I couldn’t believe it, so I checked the ticket again, this time on the OLG app. When I saw $60 million on the screen, I was in total shock. I took a screenshot and sent it to the group chat right away.”

She said her phone started “blowing up” with calls and texts from her group members, each of whom would receive a $12-million cheque.

“I was in a parking lot at work when the text came in,” Tran told OLG.

“I thought Trang was teasing us, so I called her. When she confirmed it wasn’t a joke, I started shaking and crying tears of joy.”

Phan said was also about to begin work when he saw the message.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “Then I did. I was so happy … I didn’t know what was going on. So many emotions. I even checked the numbers myself. It was hard to act normal that day.”

Article content

Phan told told his fellow group members, Zou Hsieh and Thuc Le, since they were not on the group chat and both were stunned and said they couldn’t eat or sleep for a couple of days after hearing the news.

Each member is still deciding exactly how to make the best use of the money but do have some bucket list items they want to fulfill.

Pham says she wants to buy a home and share her winnings,.

“Purchasing a home has been a dream of mine since my parents relocated to Canada,” she told OLG.

“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.”

Phan says he is too young to retire but wants to take some time off work and travel.

“That’s been a dream of mine,” he said. “I also want to start my own business, so I have a lot to think about. I’ll do that while I travel.”

Article content

Hsieh was quick to announce that he is retiring right away.

“Last year, I was worried about retiring, but now I don’t have to,” he told OLG.

“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.”

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play Video

Le said his priority is family.

“The first thing I want to buy is a house for my mother,” he told OLG.  “I’ll share this win with my family and will also treat myself to a new car.”

Tran says she needs some time to settle into her win.

“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,” she told OLG.

The group purchased their Lotto Max ticket at Giant Tiger on Kipling Ave. in Etobicoke.

Article content