The lives of two Ontarians were changed in the past week due to Lotto Max, the Canadian lottery that replaced Lotto Super 7. Both winners won life-changing jackpots from the lottery draw, and immediately announced their retirement from their jobs.
One jackpot was valued at $15 million, and was won by Delmer Hartwig who lives in Killaloe, about two hours west of Ottawa. A proud hunter and rural Ontarian, Hartwig decided to stay out of the public eye for five days after confirming he held a winning ticket.
However, he wasted no time in calling it quits from his job as a gravel truck operator, and officially retired. Hartwig celebrated his departure from work by heading out into the wilderness and going elk hunting. After a few days to let the implications of being a millionaire sink in, Hartwig travelled to the OLG headquarters in Toronto to claim his prize on September 18.
Hartwig also admits that as a man with simple tastes, the money will do little to change his lifestyle. He plans to fix up his home, perhaps buy a new car, and share the winnings with members of the community – though he is planning one extravagance for himself.
“I may splurge on an extreme hunting trip in the Northwest Territories or the Yukon.”
The other recent winner was Nick Takticos, who worked in the Hamilton auto industry before winning a whopping $30 million on Lotto Max. As with Hartwig, Takticos wasted no time in leaving his job behind, and travelled to Toronto the morning of Monday September 16 to collect his prize.
Takticos is unsure how to enjoy the winnings, though as a CFL fan, he admits he is contemplating buying private boxes to watch the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts.
“It’s like there were all these doors closed to me on the Thursday before the draw, and suddenly, all those doors are now open.”
