Bigger space needed to unveil dozens of lottery winners

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The Atlantic Lottery Corp. typically presents winners with their ceremonial cheques at the company’s offices.

But with dozens of Newfoundlanders made millionaires by a shared $60-million Lotto Max jackpot, the corporation has had to find a larger space to accommodate the group and family members.

Corporation spokeswoman Molly Cormier said Tuesday they had to arrange a space big enough for about 350 people who are expected to attend a ceremony in St. John’s today when officials hand out the cheque.

“Sometimes we just do it at the office if it’s one or two people,” she said. “But we had to look for a larger venue.”

Cormier wouldn’t disclose how many people are part of the group or what they do, saying that would all be announced at the cheque ceremony at the St. John’s Convention Centre.

However, Avondale Mayor Owen Mahoney said in an interview that many of the winners are from his small town and neighbouring communities tucked on an eastern Newfoundland bay, though he didn’t want to identify them. Mahoney said many are iron workers at the Come By Chance oil refinery, adding that “it couldn’t happen to better bunch of hard-working people.”

“It’s a good news story and all these people who won, well you’d tap them on the back,” he said.

Mahoney said word spread quickly through the community of about 650 people Saturday morning, with some of the winners in a “state of shock” over the win — the biggest jackpot yet in Atlantic Canada and one of the top five ever in Canada.

If the social media buzz is right, each participant could get about $1.8 million.