THE decision to throw some money into the workplace lottery pool for the March 14 Lotto Max draw paid off in spades for 17 Surrey co-workers, including a number of South Asians, the latest group in B.C. to share a $1 million Maxmillion prize.

Irene Wong, the group trustee, said she bought the ticket at a different location this time around. “I was busy running the kids around to Scouts and Girl Guides so I stopped at my neighborhood Macs instead of where I usually go,” she explained. “This is a true case of ‘right place, right time’.”

A week after the draw, Irene said she fed the ticket into the self-checker around10 times in a row before she began to scream with excitement. “I was in totally disbelief that we had actually won!”

She began calling her co-workers once she got home. Many accused her of playing a joke on them. “I had to bring the slip into work the next day to prove to them I wasn’t lying,” she laughed.

Each member of the group will receive $58,823.53. All 17 winners have different plans for their winnings. There’s talk of travel, investments and the likelihood of a few new cars in the parking lot at work.