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Man Wins $50M Lottery But Keeps Going to Work at 4:30 AM for His Coworkers

By Regina Sienra on November 2, 2023

Pierre Richer holding novelty check

What would you do if you won the lottery? For many, the first order of business would be to quit their jobs and retire for good. But one Canadian man named Pierre Richer, who recently won $50 million, didn't feel right doing that. Afraid of the burden his sudden withdrawal would cause to his employer and coworkers, he decided to keep his job. And so, he has continued to go to work at 4:30 a.m.

Richer, who is in his 60s, works as a driver and head of shipping at a catering company. Despite how early he has to rise to go to work, he wanted to continue working to not complicate things for everyone. “I can’t leave them alone in the dark. Without me there, the shipping department is not feasible,” Richer shared at a press conference held by Loto-Québec.

The man's life-changing turn took place when he was picking up ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner with his family. “With the pie crust being on sale at the Super C, my daughter went in to get it and I got the ticket,” says Richer. Had the pie crust been full-priced, he said he wouldn't have even been there.

A day later, Richer's daughter opened up the Lotto app to check her dad's selections. Upon seeing the results, she screamed so loud her family thought she had seen a spider. For all the excitement his daughter and wife felt, he barely reacted. “I walked into the room and they told me,” recalls Richer. “I said ‘OK,' and then walked out.”

But that doesn't mean he hasn't thought of what he will do with that money. Now, Richer can fulfill his dream of owning a house on the outskirts of Montreal, send his family on vacation, and update his car. As for work, Richer has said that he will be taking sometime for himself, but he doesn't plan to retire anytime soon. “I feel the same,” he says. “Nothing has changed.”