ALBERTA FRIENDS WIN $12.5 MILLION ON LOTTO MAX!
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster!”
A fun routine between two longtime friends turned into a $12.5 million windfall, after Rodney McFadyen of Provost and Derek Marsh of Edmonton won on the May 19 LOTTO MAX draw!
The pair have been playing together for years, each taking turns picking up a Super Pack once a week.
McFadyen picked up the winning ticket at Provost Fas Gas, located at 4011 57 Avenue in Provost. He redeemed a previously won Free Play ticket. Days later, while at work, he heard there were two LOTTO MAX winners on the previous night’s draw.
“I was working and saw there were two LOTTO MAX winners – one in Alberta, one in Quebec. I didn't think much of it until I scanned our tickets later,” he said.
When he checked the ticket, everything changed in an instant.
“I started scanning the tickets, saw $12,500,000 and just froze!” McFadyen recalled. “I couldn't believe it!”
As disbelief quickly turned into excitement, McFadyen reached out to Marsh to share the life-changing news – though it took some convincing.
“He's messed with me about this before,” laughed Marsh. “I looked up the numbers and lost it! My smartwatch calculated 7 km over the next few hours from all my pacing!”
The friends agree the win feels surreal and hasn’t fully sunk in.
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for sure!” said McFadyen.
Despite the excitement, the two are taking a measured approach to their newfound wealth.
“The money is going in the bank for both of us for now,” McFadyen said, noting they plan to take time to think through their next steps carefully.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t having a little fun thinking about what comes next: “We joked about going to Aruba and leaving our wives with a pile of Scratch & Win tickets to keep them busy until we got home,” Marsh said with a grin.
Beyond the jokes, the friends say family is front of mind, and they plan to share their good fortune with their respective wives and children.
Download the full release and winner's photo below.
