Canadian lottery winners pick lump sum over $1,000 weekly payments

A Canadian couple who recently won the lottery had to choose between steady weekly payments or a six-figure payout.

Lottery players Cynthia and Stephen Duggan are a couple who live in the suburbs of Waverly in Nova Scotia. One day, they purchased Atlantic Lottery’s Set for Life game, a Scratch’N Win ticket that costs $4 per play.

Stephen played the game and was stunned to find out that they had won — and when he shared the news with Cynthia, she was just as shocked.

“I thought he was joking because we talked and made jokes about what we might do if we ever won a lottery ticket, but really thought we’d never win,” she said. “We just dreamed, that’s what we did.”

The Duggans managed to beat the odds and won the game’s top prize: $1,000 weekly for 25 years. However, winners can skip the weekly payments in favour of a lump sum payment of $675,000, and that’s exactly what the couple chose.

Atlantic Lottery

Now with over half a million dollars in the bank, the win means more financial freedom for the couple.

“We’re used to living on a fairly tight budget, so we’re not used to the idea of having a lot of money yet,” Cynthia shared. “We’ve been trying to think about what we would want to do with it.”

In addition to using their windfall to pay off bills, the couple plans to spend on several practical purchases, such as a new car and a new metal roof.

All forms of gambling, including the lottery, involve risk and outcomes are based on chance. Individuals are strongly advised to gamble responsibly. If you are experiencing any signs of gambling-related issues, check out these resources.