Against the odds, 239 people had tickets with five of the six correct numbers, plus the bonus number, in Wednesday night's Lotto 6-49 draw.

Seven of the winners were in New Brunswick, with nine other winning tickets elsewhere in Atlantic Canada. Ontario boasts the largest number of winners, with 120, while British Columbians can claim 14. The remaining winners are in Western Canada, with 26 tickets, and Quebec, with 63.

Normally the number of people who would have that many correct numbers is much lower. For instance, there were only two last week.

There is no explanation for the result, but there is something unusual in the numbers. The last five numbers are almost consecutive: 40, 41, 42, 44, 45 — and the missing number in the sequence, 43, was the bonus number.

If the tickets stand as correct, there is a downside. The winners will be splitting the prize, getting $1,193.70 each, compared to the $131,000 awarded to last week's winners.

And the 106 tickets with five of the six numbers, without the bonus number, are worth $2,223.40 each.