Lottery Winner Giving Away $40M Prize

Canadian lottery winner Tom Crist says he doesn't need his $40 million prize, but he knows who does: cancer charities. The 64-year-old Calgary man has pledged to give the entire jackpot away to charity in honor of his wife of 33 years, starting with a $1.2 million donation to the cancer center where she was treated before her death last year, the CBC reports. His four kids will help him decide where else to donate. "He’s our role model," says Crist's son. "It’s cheesy and cliché, but it’s true."

Crist, the former chief executive of an electronics corporation, retired in September and had played the lottery by subscription, never checking his numbers but receiving the occasional check for $10 or $20. He says he was "speechless" when he first learned of the big win, but knew immediately that he would give it all away. "I'm fortunate enough that I’ve done well for myself ... financially," he tells the Calgary Herald. "I don’t need the money." He planned to keep the win a secret, but lottery authorities in the province require that big wins be made public. (Meanwhile, at least two people are splitting a near-record Mega Millions jackpot.)