A couple from Quebec were not impressed by the $50 million jackpot won with their 6/49 ticket; the two finished their day’s work and intend to “not change anything” in their lives.
Mohamed Karim Mamlouk and Insaf Bach Werdiane won this sum in the Boule d’or draw on August 28 with a ticket purchased at a Sprint convenience store on boulevard de la Chaudière, in Cap-Rouge.
An IT consultant for Revenu Québec, it was Mr. Mamlouk who discovered that they had the winning combination when he started up his computer to work.
Mohamed Karim Mamlouk and Insaf Bach Werdiane (left) won $50 million in a Lotto 6/49 draw in Quebec City. Marcel Tremblay / Agence QMI
“I reacted for maybe 30 minutes, my computer connected and I resumed my work. I called colleagues, I solved some problems as if nothing had happened,” says Mr. Mamlouk calmly, who quickly called his wife to tell her the good news.
She also did not want to deviate from her work day and almost hung up on her husband because she was in the presence of customers.
Mohamed Karim Mamlouk and Insaf Bach Werdiane, winners of 50 million dollars with their lottery ticket Marcel Tremblay / Agence QMI
The couple also have two 18-year-old twins who were still unaware of the win when it was announced to the media.
“We were afraid of confusing them,” says the father, who points out that his children are in their first year of CEGEP studies and that “their lives are centered around their children’s education.”
S’establish in Quebec
The only project on the horizon for the new millionaires: buying a house since they are renting and want to put down roots in Quebec.
“I love Quebec! I want to buy in Quebec, invest in Quebec, everything in Quebec!”, said without hesitation Insaf Bach Werdiane, who works at the Le Phénix Adult Education Center.
This is the first substantial prize awarded by Loto-Québec in the Capitale-Nationale region since the beginning of 2024.
A sum totaling 1% of the prize was also given to the Sprint convenience store where the ticket was purchased, owned by the Dufresne Group, which owns several others in the region.
“We are happy that it is regular customers who have won, that they are good people […] “more than for the amount we receive,” however, emphasizes the group’s senior director of marketing and communications, Gabriel Bérubé-Pelletier.
The owners of the Sprint convenience store were awarded $500,000, or 1% of the prize won by their customers. Marcel Tremblay / Agence QMI
He said it may be the largest jackpot ever won at one of the convenience stores. He also expects to see an increase in lottery ticket purchases at the convenience store because of the win.
For his part, Mohamed Karim Mamlouk intends to pass his turn “this week” and “give the others a chance.”
What they said
“We were already afraid for the future. We don’t want to change anything now. […] Let’s hope money doesn’t change us.”
– Mohamed Karim Mamlouk, winner of 50 million dollars with his partner, Insaf Bach Werdiane
“It will increase our traffic […] We’ll see in the next few weeks. People are superstitious and there are lots of things they do to increase their chances.”
– Gabriel Bérubé-Pelletier, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for Groupe Dufresne, owner of Sprint convenience stores
