Fifty-two friends are making history as the largest group to claim a single lottery prize in Western Canada after taking home a $1 million MAXMILLIONS prize on the August 5 LOTTO MAX draw.
Ashley Sieben, who claimed the prize on behalf of the 51 other group members, says he didn’t realize they had won until another member of the group called him.
“Check your tickets! We won, we won!” the other group member told Ashley. “We won a million dollars!”
Sieben said he stopped what he was doing at that moment and met with another group member, who was with him when he scanned their ticket on the Lotto Spot! app. After confirming the ticket was a winner, Sieben called his wife and told her to drive to Yorkton and buy a safe to protect the ticket.
“This will make everyone’s day!” Sieben recalled exclaiming. He spent the rest of the day contacting each group member and spreading the good news.
“Their reactions were the highlight of my day,” Sieben laughed while claiming the prize. “There was a bunch of swearing and excitement.”
The group started with about 40 friends four years ago and has grown from there to include friends of friends, but Sieben’s says they all know each other now and play together whenever the jackpot reaches $50 million. They will share the prize money evenly, netting each member $19,230.76. He noted that there are many different plans for how each person will use the money, including trips, debt payments and maybe even a boat.
Sieben purchased their ticket from Petro Canada at 505 Kaiser William Ave. E in Langenburg on the day of the draw. They won by matching all numbers for one of the MAXMILLIONS drawn – 6, 7, 10, 11, 27, 34, and 36.
Laying Ground Rules for your Group is a good idea
Group play – whether with friends, family, or co-workers – can be fun to experience the excitement of playing (and maybe winning!) together. How groups administer their lottery purchases and prizes is up to the members involved. Here are some tools and tips to keep in mind when planning a group lottery purchase and steps to avoid any misunderstandings:
- Decide how to deal with potential winnings. Before the draw, decide what dollar amount of prize winnings will be split amongst the group or used for future lottery ticket purchases.
- Appoint someone as the group’s trustee to coordinate collecting funds, buying tickets, tracking winnings, posting draw results, sharing exciting news, and distributing winnings.
- Record who is participating in each draw.
- Ensure all group members are at least 18 years old.
- Copy selections for all group participants. (Note that only an original lottery ticket can be used to claim a prize)
It is recommended to fill out a Group Buying Agreement, which you can find on sasklotteries.ca.
List of 52 Winners
Ashley Sieben – Langenburg, SK
Rachel Crowdis – Langenburg, SK
Jeanine Elmy – Langenburg, SK
Kevin Miranda – Grayson, SK
Dennis Douhaniuk – Grayson, SK
Cindy Moore – Spy Hill, SK
Jenna Karras – Spy Hill, SK
Tyson Duchek – Spy Hill, SK
Ethan Field – Spy Hill, SK
Colleen Larocque – Spy Hill, SK
Darwin Holden – Swift Current, SK
Taci Holden – Swift Current, SK
Mark Nykiforuk – North Battleford, SK
Mandy Lingel – Saskatoon, SK
Doug Ricketson – Churchbridge, SK
Tammy Jepson – Esterhazy, SK
Kimberly Varga – Bredenbury, SK
Dean Brenner – Churchbridge, SK
Steve Konkin – Estevan, SK
Clint Hollingshead – Esterhazy, SK
Laci Rapp – Fleming, SK
Bernard Brule – Whitewood, SK
Kimberly Brule – Whitewood, SK
James Chewka – Stockholm, SK
Aron Gratias – Emma Lake, SK
Amanda Bartok – Esterhazy, SK
Cody Andrews – Chaplin, SK
Shane Slywka – Davidson, SK
Aaron Gurney – Tantallon, SK
Sarah Bugoy – Regina, SK
Justin Leadley – Regina, SK
Nicole Lake – Regina, SK
Patrick Chubb – Regina, SK
Trevor Rieger – Regina, SK
Colleen Roddy – Regina, SK
Bonnie Ulmer – Melville, SK
Randine Giesbrecht – Moosomin, SK
Matthew Pister – Moosomin, SK
George Williams – Springside, SK
Erin Kessler – Pangman, SK
Sheldon Rood – Assiniboia, SK
Munech Santos – Virden, MB
Tiffany Cadieux – Binscarth, MB
Murray DeCorby – Binscarth, MB
Kelly Belhumeur – St. Lazare, MB
Jason Wilson – Gladstone, MB
Melanie Wilson – Gladstone, MB
Thomas Maines – Narol, MB
Catherine Maines – Winnipeg, MB
Michael Collier – Flin Flon, MB
Cory Fleury – Birtle, MB
David McLeod – Glenwood, AB