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A group of four Calgary friends who won the country’s largest-ever lottery jackpot had made their intentions clear with the name of their group chat: Manifesting Millions.
“It’s almost like this stuff writes itself. It’s unbelievable how this has come together for this group,” said Steve Lautischer with Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis on Friday as he introduced the winners.
Now, Eidelson Elchico, Lovelyn Malvar, Hazeline Ong and Velna Ramirez will split the $90-million prize from the Oct. 20 Lotto Max draw.
The foursome had met about five years ago through family, and only started playing the jackpot together last month. They’d chosen one of their lucky numbers; the rest were random.
Elchico’s wife was the one to give them the idea to start playing, and he was the first to discover they had won.
He’d woken up in the middle of the night for a glass of water when he decided to check his phone. Still groggy at 3 a.m., he initially could not believe how many zeros he was looking at.
When he realized the size of the jackpot, he started calling the others, who were incredulous at the news.
“I thought it was a scam and I saw the email and I’m like, ‘You definitely got scammed,’” said Malvar.
For the winners, it still feels surreal. Ramirez said it could take months or even a year before it fully sinks in.
The winners said they initially kept news of their jackpot quiet, telling only spouses and close family members.
And they’re still working.
“I need the distraction; it’s too much,” Malvar said with a laugh.
As for what they plan to do with the money, while there were jokes about jets and private islands, the group also wants to do some good with their winnings, including donating to the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
