British Columbia Lottery Corporation has reported another amazing lottery win in the Province of B.C. This time a Vancouver Island ticket holder has won a Lotto Max jackpot worth CA$55 million. The name of the lucky winner is William Scott Gurney who has now joined the lottery-minted multi-millionaires thanks to the February 28, 2023 draw.
Lottery in B.C. is offered and overseen by the BCLC, and tickets for the local and nationwide games can be acquired at lottery retailers or at the Crown’s PlayNow online platforms. After each draw, players can check their tickets from anywhere using the BCLC Lotto! App, which is available to both iOS and Android devices.
The Winner’s Story
The winner, Mr. Gurney shared how he found out about his major winning. He was sitting in his office when heard on the radio that someone from the region has acquired the mega CA$55 million Lotto Max jackpot. He then immediately checked his ticket via the app and called his assistant to the office, who initially read the number as CA$55,000 instead of the actual CA$55,000,000.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, the Crown corporation presented the cheque for CA$55 million to the winner during a celebration in Greater Victoria while also marking the largest prize ever won by a ticket holder from Vancouver Island. The Sidney resident who works as a bookkeeper is now looking for someone to take care of his clients as he plans to take a break.
Mr. Gurney shared that he plans on taking his time and fully deciding what he will do with the major prize. Of course, he intends to help his family financially and purchase a property on Vancouver Island. The plan for the new home is to have a dock as he is keen on crabbing. He is also looking to buy a vacation home and travel around the world.
He also confirmed that he will be now retiring and will not be back for another tax season. He also noted that the win felt life-changing, but it still did not feel real to him. His life-altering ticket for the February 28, 2023 draw was bought at the Save-On-Foods on Beacon Avenue in Sidney. And he is now tasked with enjoying a financially relaxed life with his family.
Winning Big in 2022
According to the BCLC, last year alone, provincial lottery players won CA$802 million in prizes and CA$173 million came from Lotto Max. There were more than 100 million winning tickets sold at provincial retailers or online on PlayNow.com. Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley regions generated the largest portion of the total prize pool with CA$382.1 million in prizes among players.
Some of the noteworthy Lotto Max winnings from last year include Jennifer Cole who won a hefty CA$31 million in the game via the July 8, 2022 draw. The West Kelowna player bought her ticket online on PlayNow and she claimed her life-changing windfall in a Kamloops office in August. She heard that someone had won the jackpot in the region, but did not realize it would be her.
Source: “Vancouver Island Resident Wins Life-Changing $55-Million Lotto Max Jackpot” BCLC, April 4, 2023
