Brenda Aubin-Vega was on her break from work when she scratched a Gagnant à Vie ticket and instantly became a lifetime winner. The 20-year-old from Montreal uncovered three piggy bank symbols on her ticket, and scored the game’s top prize: $1,000 a week for the rest of her life.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes! I checked my ticket over and over again,” she said while claiming her prize with Loto-Québec. Stunned, she called her father, then took the rest of the day off to let it all sink in.

Winners of Gagnant à Vie can choose between a lump sum of $1 million up front or a $1,000 weekly annuity. Aubin-Vega went with the lifetime payout and says she plans to use the steady income to eventually buy a home.

While most winners take the lump sum, opting for the weekly payout can add up. At $1,000 a week, it would take 1,000 weeks — or about 19 years — to reach $1 million. If you were to invest the weekly payments at a 5 per cent growth rate, it would take about 13 years for a future value of $1 million, and about 21 years for $2 million.

Either way, it helps explain why most players choose the upfront money in annuity games like Gagnant à Vie, Grande Vie, and Daily Grand.

The winning ticket was purchased at Dépanneur Jen & Dan on Rue Poirier in Montreal, a store Aubin-Vega regularly visits to treat herself. The retailer will receive a $10,000 commission from Loto-Québec.

Gagnant à Vie (“Winner for Life”) is a $4 scratch ticket game from Loto-Québec with odds of 1 in 1.5 million for the top prize. To win, players must reveal three identical symbols in a single play area — like the piggy banks Aubin-Vega uncovered. Winners have 60 days to choose between the annuity and lump-sum options.

So far in 2025, ten lifetime prizes have been claimed in Quebec across Gagnant à Vie and Grande Vie. Nine were $1,000-a-week Gagnant à Vie wins, while one Grande Vie player landed $25,000 a year for life.

Tools to stop gambling

If you’re looking to take a break from gambling, self-exclusion programs can be effective tools. See here for resources that are available across Canada.