"I was wondering why Loto-Québec would call me for $25": Lottery player wins $25,000 a year for life

One lottery player missed a life-changing phone call all because he didn’t recognize the phone number.

Pierre Savard is a regular lottery player who lives in Mauricie, Quebec. He said he simply buys his ticket online since it’s more practical so Savard purchased a Grande Vie ticket online for a chance to win $25,000 a year for life.

On October 20, the day after the draw, Savard recalls receiving a call from a number he didn’t recognize. So he quickly looked it up and discovered that the number belonged to Loto-Québec.

That’s when he decided to check his lotoquebec.com account to see if he won and he had — in fact, he won $25.

“I was wondering why Loto-Québec would call me for $25!” he said.

Pierre Savard (Loto-Québec)

But when he looked again and saw the extra zeroes, that’s when he realized why the lottery corporation was probably trying to get in touch with him: he had won the Grande Vie top prize, netting himself $25,000 a year for life.

“I got goosebumps all over,” he recalled.

Luckily, Savard did manage to finally get in touch with Loto-Québec so he could claim his prize. Rather than receiving $25,000 a year, he opted for the lump sum. As a result, he’s now $500,000 richer.

With half a million in his bank account, Savard said he’ll be using his windfall to buy a new car and do some renovations. He also plans to invest his money.