Bas-Caraquet fisherman claims $64M record-breaking lottery jackpot - Action News
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New Brunswick

Bas-Caraquet fisherman claims $64M record-breaking lottery jackpot

Merel Chiasson from Bas-Caraquet, N.B., on the Acadian Peninsula, accepted the prize at the Atlantic Lottery office in Moncton on Thursday. Its the largest lottery win ever claimed in Atlantic Canada.

Merel Chiasson says he will retire with the winnings and help family

$64M jackpot finally claimed by Bas-Caraquet man shortly before expiration date

6 months ago
Duration 0:49
Crab fisherman Merel Chiasson walked into the Atlantic Lottery head office just 19 days before his winning ticket was set to expire. The ticket sat in his bedroom dresser for 347 days he didnt know it.

Merel Chiasson's winning ticket was sitting on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.

A few weeks before it was set to expire,he learned he'd won a record-breaking $64-million jackpot.

The fisherman from Bas-Caraquet, on the Acadian Peninsula, accepted the prize at the Atlantic Lottery office in Moncton on Thursday. It's the largest lottery win ever claimed in Atlantic Canada.

The winning Lotto 649 ticket was purchased in April 2023 and was set to expire next month, leading to speculation and rumours over what had happened. Some suggested it was purchased by a group of people whoworked at Walmart, while another said someone had lost the ticket while hunting in the woods.

Merel Chiasson with giant cheque
Merel Chiasson says he plans to retire, but is still deciding what he'll do with his lottery winnings. (Pascal Raiche-Nogue/Radio-Canada)

In the end, it was sitting in Chiasson's bedroom all part of his plan to regularly check a month's worth of tickets at once, shortly before they are set to expire.

When he finally went to the local store, Chiasson said he looked at the printout and was in disbelief with the number of zeros he saw.

"I collected my tickets, I paid and I got in my truck and went to where she was working. I told Nancy,'I think I won 64 million. I'm not sure,'" he said, during a brief question and answer session with lottery officials, conducted in French.

On Wednesday, Chiasson and his partner Nancy travelled to Atlantic Lottery in Moncton to confirm the win and collect the prize. Chiasson was publicly announced as the winner at a news conference at the organization's office on Thursday, with confetti falling down as lottery officials handed over a giant cheque.

The ticket was sold at Dpanneur Pokemouche in northeastern New Brunswick. The retailer will receive $640,000, 1 per centof the jackpot.

Molly Cormier, director of brand and communications with Atlantic Lottery, said the organization had remained hopeful someone would finally come forward with the ticket.

"We're just so over the moon excited that it's concluded in this wayand that we're able to pay out this prize to this very deserving winner," she said.

Dpanneur Pokemouche convenience store
Dpanneur Pokemouche on the Acadian Peninsula, where the winning ticket was sold. (Rne Landry/Radio-Canada)

Chiasson said he's been playing the lottery for 30 years, especially Lotto 649, and he plans to keep buying more tickets.

A crab fisherman for 40 years, he started working at a local fish plant a few years ago. He now plans to retire and use some of the money to help out his family.

Beyond that, Chiasson didn't reveal any plans for the winnings.

"I don't want anything big," he said. "It's not going to change me, I'm still the same person."