At 20, she chose $1K a week for life — but was it the best financial call?

Most people hope their lunch break gives them just enough time to grab a snack, scroll through their phone, or recharge before heading back to work. But for one 20-year-old in Montreal, a quick break turned into something far more life-changing. With a single scratch of a ticket, her day — and her future — took an unforgettable twist that has lottery fans buzzing.

A lunch break surprise

While breaks from work are necessary, they can also be very enjoyable. Brenda Aubin-Vega took her break from work to a whole other level recently.

The 20-year-old from Montreal was on her break from work when she decided to scratch a Gagnant à Vie (Winner for Life) instant ticket. While scratching the ticket, the Gen Z lottery player uncovered three piggy bank symbols.

That meant she won the game’s top prize: $1,000 a week for the rest of her life. Aubin-Vega was completely shocked, so she called her father and then took the rest of the day off to let it all sink in.

She recently made her way to Loto-Québec to claim her prize, telling lottery officials, “I couldn’t believe my eyes! I checked my ticket over and over again.”

The winning ticket was purchased at Dépanneur Jen & Dan on Rue Poirier in Montreal. For selling the winning ticket, the lucky retailer will receive a $10,000 bonus from Loto-Québec.

Annuity vs. lump sum

For those players with the top prize on Gagnant à Vie, they can choose between taking $1,000 weekly annuity payments or a lump sum payment of $1 million.

In a shocking move, the 20-year-old chose the annuity payments and says she will use the steady income to eventually buy a house.

For this lifetime wins, like in the Cash4Life or Lucky for Life draw games in the United States, most winners will opt for the one-time, lump sum payment. However, opting for the weekly payout can add up.

If you break it down, to receive $1,000 a week, it would take you 1,000 weeks, or about 19 years, to reach $1 million. However, if you were to invest the weekly payment at a 5% growth rate, it would take you about 13 years to reach a future value of $1 million. It would take about 21 years to reach $2 million.

Keep in mind taxes, and not getting the full amount to invest either way, once those are withheld. Either way, you could invest the lump sum upfront and probably make more in the end, but also having that weekly paycheck would be nice too.

2025 is all about lifetime prizes

For those unfamiliar, Gagnant à Vie is a $4 scratch ticket game from Loto-Québec. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 1.5 million. Winners have 60 days to choose between the annuity and lump-sum option.

For 2025, it’s been a year of lifetime prizes. There have been 10 lifetime prizes claimed in Quebec across Gagnant à Vie and Grande Vie. Nine of those were $1,000-a-week Gagnant à Vie wins, while one Grande Vie player won $25,000 a year for life.

Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.