Calgary man who forgot to check Lotto Max ticket discovers $1 million prize

Calgary resident Ming Zhu checked an old Lotto Max ticket he bought last August and discovered it was a $1 million winner. (Photo courtesy WGLC)

A Calgary man forgot to check the numbers of a Lotto Max ticket he bought in early August and when he finally did, he was stunned to discover he was $1 million richer.

Ming Zhu bought a ticket from the Shoppers Drug Mart at 5628 4th St. N.W. on Aug. 9, then promptly forgot about it until recently.

“I checked [the ticket] again and again,” he said. “Then I left the store and told the (good) news to my wife.”

“She didn’t believe me,” he said, “so I used my laptop to show her on the website.”

Eventually, Zhu was able to convince his wife that they were instant millionaires.

“We’re going to buy a new home,” Zhu said.

“I have bought tickets for many years, thinking, ‘I bought; I have a chance,’” he said.

Draw-based tickets are good for a year after the draw, so Zhu still had a few months to claim the prize, but if he had waited until August 10, 2025, he would have had a million regrets.

Zhu matched the number in the Maximillions Lotto Max draw: 8, 22, 26, 32, 38, 41, and 44.

More information about prize claims are available on wclc.com.