A Canadian teenager has become the youngest lottery winner to take home a jackpot worth tens of millions of dollars in the country, winning with the first ticket she ever bought.
Juliette Lamour, 18, was announced as the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation who scooped C$48m (£29.7m) on Friday.
“While there have been other 18-year-old lottery winners across Canada in recent years, no one has won as much as Juliette,” the company said in a statement.
Ms Lamour said that her grandfather had suggested she buy her first ticket as a way of marking her 18th birthday.
“I just turned 18 and my grandfather suggested I buy a lottery ticket for fun,” she told Global News.
“When I went to the store, I wasn’t sure what to ask for because I had never bought a ticket before, so I called my dad who told me to buy a LOTTO 6-49 Quick Pick.
“I still can’t believe I hit the Gold Ball jackpot on my very first lottery ticket!”
Ms Lamour said that she had subsequently forgotten that she had purchased a ticket.
She checked her ticket on the lottery app when colleagues said that the winning ticket was sold in Sault Ste Marie.
She said that when the ticket was scanned on the app the “Winner/Gagnant” jingle started to play and “Big Winner” was displayed on the phone.
“My colleague fell to his knees in disbelief. He was yelling, in fact, everyone was yelling that I won $48 million!”
The teenager plans to “carefully” invest the money on the advice of her father.
She said that the money will help with her dreams of studying to become a doctor without needing to take out any loans or grants.
She plans to return to northern Ontario to practise medicine and give back to her community.
“Once school is done, my family and I will pick a continent and start exploring,” she was quoted as saying by BBC.
“I want to experience different countries, study their history and culture, try their food, and listen to their language.”
The teen added that despite the win, she will focus on her work rather than the jackpot.
“Money doesn’t define you,” she said. “It’s the work you do that will define you.”
