Last Friday the 13th, one winner from Ottawa and a group from Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec shared the $50 million Lotto Max jackpot. The following story centers on Gerald Clement of Ottawa, but note the difference in the story from two different sources.
First: Lotto winner gets lucky on Friday the 13th
Gerald Clement of Ottawa has been playing the same lottery numbers month after month, always hoping for a big win.
In the end, it was a quick pick that brought him his fortune.
On Friday, his wish came true. He claimed his $25-million prize, bought for the Aug. 13 Lotto Max draw after cashing in eight months’ worth of free plays.
Compare to: Friday the 13th proves to be very lucky for $25M lottery winner from Ottawa
The father of two currently rents his home in Ottawa and said he wants to buy his first house ever — and then maybe another.
“Family, travel, a house or two,” he said when asked about his plans for the money. “After that it’s hard to say.”
Read both stories: Do you see the difference? The second story lists the ages of his children. People who win such large amounts on lotteries should be careful what personal information they provide when claiming their money. Many news stories rely on the press releases put out by the lottery office. If you are claiming a significant jackpot, and the lottery office starts asking a bunch of personal questions, DO NOT volunteer such information. If you are the sole owner of the winning ticket, they only need your name and identification. There is no reason for them to know if you have children, what their names and/or ages are, etc. If it’s a group ticket, then all group members will need to be there and identify themselves. But again, there is no reason to share unnecessary personal information that could put your family at risk.
While the lottery office usually provides lottery winner info to the media in the form of a press release, some reporters may try to dig up some info on their own. Hopefully friends and relatives of lottery winners have enough sense to keep personal information quiet.
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