Canadian buddies split 'emotional' $12.5M Lotto Max win
Two friends in Alberta grew a whole lot closer last month, splitting a $12.5-million Lotto Max win.
Rodney McFadyen of Provost and Derek Marsh of Edmonton won on the May 19 Lotto Max draw after playing together for years, each taking turns picking up a Super Pack once a week.
McFadyen picked up the winning ticket at Provost Fas Gas, located at 4011 57th Ave. in Provost. He redeemed a previously won Free Play ticket, and days later, while at work, he heard there were two Lotto Max winners on the previous night’s draw.
“I was working and saw there were two Lotto Max winners – one in Alberta, one in Quebec. I didn’t think much of it until I scanned our tickets later,” he said while speaking to Lotto Spot.
When he checked the ticket, everything changed in an instant.
“I started scanning the tickets, saw $12,500,000 and just froze!” McFadyen recalled. “I couldn’t believe it!”
As disbelief quickly turned into excitement, McFadyen reached out to Marsh to share the life-changing news – though it took some convincing.
“He’s messed with me about this before,” laughed Marsh. “I looked up the numbers and lost it! My smartwatch calculated seven kilometres over the next few hours from all my pacing!”
The friends agree the win feels surreal and hasn’t fully sunk in, with McFadyen calling it “an emotional roller coaster.”
Despite the excitement, the two are taking a measured approach to their newfound wealth, going straight to the bank for now before taking the time to think through their next steps carefully.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t having a little fun thinking about what comes next. “We joked about going to Aruba and leaving our wives with a pile of Scratch & Win tickets to keep them busy until we got home,” Marsh said with a grin.
Beyond the jokes, the friends say family is front of mind, and they plan to share their good fortune with their respective wives and children.
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