What Is It About Winning Pools And Canada's Lotto Max! Following The Trend, 31 People Win Record $60 Million

A record-breaking $61 Million was shared on Feb 28 by 31 members of the Boilermakers Local 203 union at a Newfoundland and Labrador oil refinery. It's one of several recent major Canadian syndicate wins.

This Canada Lotto Max was drawn on Feb 23 and was presented on Feb 28. The ticket was the sole winner of one of the largest jackpots in Canada, and represents the largest prize ever awarded in Atlantic Canada.

The 31 winners work at the Come By Chance Oil Refinery, though several left their jobs as soon as they heard the news.

Sherry Moore Hickey, shop steward, purchased the group’s winning ticket. She said the group has been buying tickets together for three months.

"We throw in $5 each, so we had $155 worth of tickets,” Moore Hickey said.

“I made 28 other phone calls to tell the group members individually that we had the winning ticket,” she said. “They had some choice words for me as they thought I was joking.”

The only person Moore Hickey (pictured above, center), didn’t have to call was her husband, and their household will receive two shares of the winnings.

The 31 winners will each receive $1,875,000.09.

SYNDICATE WINNING BOOM

But it is one of several pooled wins in Canada since 2014. The following photos show three other syndicate wins.

A group of 26 current and former co-workers from Ottawa won the Lotto Max June 6, 2014 Lotto Max $32.6 million jackpot.
Read More.

Twenty six members of a Quebec family along with 2 friends celebrate after receiving their cheques sharing a $60 million Lotto Max win in Montreal. The draw was won on Jan.6, 2017.
PHOTO: PAUL CHIASSON / THE CANADIAN PRESS. Read More.

Another $60 Million win by nine members of a pool who work in finance in downtown Montreal. They usually split one ticket, but this time around, due to it being the holiday season, they each played $20 for the Dec 27. 2017 draw.
PHOTO: CANADIAN PRESS / Graham Hughes Read More.