Lotto 649 $15.7m Jackpot Winner Claims Prize
Another Albertan, Canada man has managed to grab a huge Lotto 6/49 lottery prize in a recent jackpot draw, winning himself a cool $15.7 million.
James Whittaker from Edmonton purchased his ticket at a 7-Eleven store in Sherwood Park in time for the January 16th draw, and on Thursday decided to check his ticket when he went out to purchase a slushy drink on his lunch break.
The player was stunned to learn that his ticket had resulted in an almost $16 million windfall, admitting that his first instinct was to make sure that he didn't have a heart attack from all the excitement.
When claiming his prize on Tuesday, Whittaker said that after he realized he had won, he proceeded in calling friends with the good news, including his girlfriend who didn't quite believe him at first.
Asked what he intends doing with this life-changing sum of money, Whittaker said that he wants to invest most of the winnings and do some travelling.
"I'd like to live a simpler lifestyle," he said. "I've always dreamed of this moment."
Another Big Alberta Lottery Win
Once more, Albertans were celebrating a big lottery win as news of James Whittaker, the Lotto 6/49 jackpot winner prize was revealed.
According to a spokeswoman for Western Canada Lottery Corp, Andrea Marantz, "Albertans are very lucky with 6/49."
"The three biggest jackpots in Lotto 6/49's history have all been won in Alberta," she said.
Poodle Wins Lotto for Squamish Man
In another Canadian lottery tale reported this week, a man from Squamish has won $3.3 million in a Lotto 6/49 draw after basing his numbers on the day his poodle died.
The 58 year old man who has been on disability pension for more than 25 years, Gary Golaiy, bought the ticket at a gas station before last Saturday's Lotto 6/49 draw, basing his numbers on his beloved poodle's day of death.
"She was six years old when she died," said Golaiy, "I added all those numbers up and I got the last number of 44. By Jesus, they all came out!"
Golaiy is still not sure about how to digest the news of his big win, and for now he has put the money in the bank and is seeking financial advice.
"I haven't a clue," he said. "I just don't know what I'm going to do. I'm just baffled here...on cloud 9!"
