Lotto Max winner thought her $1 million jackpot ticket was a joke

The winner's husband Alain Latour (left), Yves Corbeil and Linda Michaud at the Casino du Lac-Leamy presentation   Photo: Loto Quebec

It wasn't until Gatineau resident Linda Michaud went to buy a Canada Lotto Max ticket that she discovered an old ticket in her purse.

She asked the store clerk to check it, but didn't appear surprised according to staff there.

Linda Michaud bought her ticket at this L’Instant tobacco shop in the Galeries Aylmer shopping centre.   Photo: File

“I have never won money so I didn’t believe her [cashier] when she told me I had won $1 million,” Michaud told reporters at the Casino Lac Leamy.

Instead, thinking that she was the butt of a practical joke, she began looking for the hidden camera.

It ended happily. The Montreal resident in her 50's left with a $1 million claim form and headed home to fill it out.

The presentation to Linda Michaud   Photo: Supplied

The winning ticket was purchased at L’Instant tobacco shop in the Galeries Aylmer shopping center, located at 181 Rue Principale in Gatineau.

The retailer will receive a 1% commission of $10,000.