Lotto 6/49: New Brunswick woman wins $5M jackpot after playing the same lottery numbers for 30 years
That dedication has recently paid off in a big way. The Saint-André, N.B., woman won the $5-million Lotto 6/49 Classic Jackpot in the March 26, 2025 draw, all thanks to those numbers she never stopped playing.
'I've been playing Lotto 6/49 for a very long time, always with the same numbers that I chose a long time ago because they each had a significance,' Bérubé said, while claiming her prize with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC).
'Some numbers I do still remember why I picked them, but a few others I don't remember why. It's been that long that I've been playing the same numbers.'
Over those three decades, plenty changed — including the structure of the game and Bérubé's switch from retail tickets to online play on alc.ca. But her numbers — 9, 13, 25, 30, 45, 49 — stayed exactly the same.
Among them are meaningful milestones: a birthdate, her wedding anniversary, and the age at which she once hoped to retire.
While she didn't retire at that exact age, Bérubé did step away from work last summer. Now, her jackpot win will help her enjoy that retirement to the fullest.
First up is travelling with her husband and her sisters, with a dream trip to Africa topping her itinerary.
Bérubé purchased the winning ticket on alc.ca and admits she had to double-check before believing what she saw.
'I went on the website and saw I had a winner, and when I opened the ticket, I saw all those zeros, so I looked at the numbers and they were really my numbers,' Bérubé said.
'I was in shock. I said, 'Oh my God, I won the lotto.''
Lotto 6/49 gives players a chance to win two jackpots every Wednesday and Saturday for $3 per play. The Classic Draw offers a fixed $5 million jackpot, while the Gold Ball Draw guarantees at least $1 million — or a growing jackpot that starts at $10 million and can climb past $60 million.
The odds of winning the Lotto 6/49 Classic Jackpot are 1 in 13,983,816. Because each draw is independent, the odds reset every time — meaning Bérubé's chances of winning didn't technically improve by playing the same numbers. But over 30 years of buying tickets for two draws a week, she entered roughly 3,000 draws, giving herself 3,000 separate chances to win.
It may have taken decades, but her patience, consistency — and a little bit of luck — finally paid off.
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.
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