Order of Canada Recipient Wins $25 Million Lotto Max Jackpot

Posted on: March 25, 2025, 11:46h. 

Last updated on: March 25, 2025, 12:12h.

Mark Keast Read More
Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.

For the first time in the history of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, an Officer of the Order of Canada has won a major lottery jackpot in Ontario. Toronto’s Charles Coffey won the $25 million LOTTO MAX jackpot on Jan. 31, 2025.

Charlie Coffey of Toronto won a $25 million LOTTO MAX jackpot in January, the first time an Officer of the Order of Canada recipient has won a major lottery jackpot in Ontario. (Image: OLG)

Coffey, 81, known as “Charlie” to friends and family, said he stopped into his neighborhood Shell gas station to fill up his car, picked up a chocolate bar, and checked a couple of LOTTO MAX tickets he had.

When I checked my tickets on the self-scanner, one wasn’t a winner, but the other was. I thought I saw $25,000 and said to myself, ‘That’s interesting!” he said. “But I didn’t have my glasses on, so I got them out, went back to check what I thought was a $25,000 ticket, and saw $25 million.

“As soon I got in the door, I asked a family member to help me confirm the numbers,” he added. “They read the numbers back to me as I checked them again. When we finally accepted the fact that the ticket was worth $25 million, someone suggested they take my pulse to make sure I was alive and seeing the amount of the win.”

For years Coffey channeled a work ethic instilled in him by his parents, growing up one of nine children in a small town in New Brunswick, into a career in the banking industry. But it was in his volunteer work that he really made his mark.

Numerous Accolades for Volunteer Work

For years, Coffey championed causes in Toronto and across Canada involving Indigenous peoples, children and early child development, women entrepreneurs, and women in public office, as well as education and diversity.

For his work, Coffey was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs named Charlie an Honorary Chief for his support of First Nations. He also received the Canadian Women’s International Business Initiative Award from the Canadian Embassy in the United States.

“This win gives me the opportunity to sustainably support the causes I have championed for decades,” Coffey said. “I believe in the premise of a hand-up versus a handout and want to support organizations that need a stronger voice. The motto for the Order of Canada is ‘They desire a better country’ and that speaks to me. A desire for a better Toronto, a better Ontario, and a better Canada, in particular for our Indigenous peoples.”

Family Holiday in the Works

While intending to continue his volunteer work, Coffey did add there was one thing he wanted to do to treat himself with the winnings: a family holiday “so that we can celebrate and make more precious memories together.”