Canadian teenager wins $780000 lottery on 18th birthday

Charlie Lagarde wins $780000 (lumpsump) or $1000/ week for life

Charlie Lagarde, from the province of Quebec  couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift for her 18th birthday. The teenager bought the scratch ticket along with a bottle of champagne to celebrate turning 18 on 14 March. She won, and had the choice between taking a C$1m ($780,000; £550,000) lump sum or earning $1,000 a week for life.

After consulting with a financial adviser, the young winner opted for the $1,000 for life as it is not taxed. Lagarde told lottery officials that she plans to travel and study photography and eventually dreams of landing a job at National Geographic.

Couce-Tard, the retailer where Lagarde bought the winning ticket, will receive a $10,000 prize.”It’s without taxes so it’s equivalent to a salary of more than $100,000 a year, so it’s a great start in life for that young lady,” Patrice Lavoie, a spokesman for the lottery corporation, told the Canadian Press.