A group of 24 blue-collar Canadian workers are glad they paid into this week’s drawing.
Week after week we sink our hard-earned cash into the office lottery buy-in, and we have nothing to show for it. But our hope is restored now that 24 factory workers in Toronto have won a CAD$50 million (roughly the same in USD$) prize in Canada’s Lotto Max drawing.
(More on TIME.com: See a brief history of the world’s biggest lottery.)
The 24 men all work the same daily shift at the Bombardier aircraft plant on the outskirts of Toronto – but today, no work would get done on account of the newly minted millionaires. The men, who range in age from 28 to 63, were told to take the day off to cash in their winning ticket at the Ontario lottery headquarters.
(More on TIME.com: See photos of the ultimate gambler’s paradise, Las Vegas.)
One of the nouveau riche, Chris Dale, told the Toronto Star that the group only plays the really big jackpots. The 53-year-old said he, and all the other winners, put in $5 toward tickets. And this time, that small sacrifice paid off – in a huge way. Now the workers must validate their ticket and split up their winnings.
Unfortunately, it’s not all monetary green for the winners – they’re also facing those who are green with envy. The Toronto Star reported late Monday that their payout has been put on hold while the Ontario Lottery investigates “several others” who are claiming a chunk of the change. A lottery spokeswoman says it could take weeks to determine who is entitled to the winnings.
But then they’ll head back to work, right? Just kidding! NewsFeed bets the Bombardier factory will soon have 24 new job openings.