Their names are Friedrich and Annand Mayrhofer.
The Langley family is the winner of a $50 million winning lottery ticket purchased in Langley in March, 2014.
On Tuesday morning, the B.C. Lottery Corporation ended more than a year of speculation by revealing who won the jackpot and explaining why it took so long to name them.
The long delay was due to the fact the winners had attempted to keep their names secret by signing ownership of the ticket over to a trust before it was presented to BCLC by their lawyer, without disclosing the identity of the beneficiaries of the trust.
Because of the "unique" nature of the claim, BCLC said it had to consult with the Inter-Provincial Lottery Corporation (ILC), the national organization that oversees Lotto Max across Canada.
In June 2015, BCLC and the ILC, ruled that only an individual or group of individuals can claim a prize, not a trust.
“Throughout this process we have been guided by the principle of maintaining integrity of the lottery system – which we uphold by ensuring prizes are paid to the right people and by publicizing winners,” said BCLC president Jim Lightbody.
When a lottery ticket is purchased, the conditions require the player to agree to their name and photo being published if they win.
In November, the Mayrhofers submitted a prize claim as a group.
“We are a quiet family,” said Mayrhofer, a 67-year-old retired steel fabricator.
“Our plans are to renovate our home, buy some new furniture and maybe take a sunny vacation.”
The winnings will be shared with their children, a son and two daughters.
"We have a group of advisors in place to assist (us with financial planning)."
Mayrhofer said he was speechless when he went online and confirmed he won the prize.
He checked it several times to be sure, then told his wife.
“You can’t believe it,” he said.
“It takes a while (to sink in). It was a dream come true.”
Mayrhofer has won the lottery before, taking smaller prizes of $1,000 and about $3,000 a number of years ago.
“When I claimed the $3,000 I told the clerk at the prize claim counter that I would see her again – but I never imagined it would be for a win this size!,” Mayrhofer said.
The March 14, 2014 Lotto Max jackpot win tied the largest prize ever won in B.C.
The winning ticket was a "quick pick" purchased at the Shoppers Drug Mart at 601-22259 48 Ave.
None of the people named as winners were involved in a lawsuit filed over the unclaimed prize by a woman who claimed a co-worker had won the lottery and was trying to conceal it in order to avoid sharing it.
An attempt by CBC Vancouver to find out more about the mystery winner found the BCLC president had warned staff to be careful about being overheard discussing the matter.
“ … be mindful of where conversations are occurring (stay away from discussing this matter in public locations such as the parkade or local coffee shops); share information only on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.”