Canadian man let out a squeal after winning $1 million on New Year's Day

A Canadian man became a millionaire on the first day of 2024 after he won the top prize on a scratch ticket earlier this month.

Bryan Strong is starting the year off right, thanks to a $1 million win on a $100 Ultimate scratch ticket he purchased in Edmonton on January 1.

“I bought my ticket and scratched and scanned the barcode right in the store to see if I had won something,” he explained while claiming his prize. “I had to scan it a few times to make sure I was counting all of the zeroes.”

“I was shocked!” he continued, laughing. “Honestly, I let out a bit of a squeal in the moment. Then I tried to get home as quickly as possible to put my ticket in my safe.”

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The lucky winner said he did return home hurriedly, but not before his friend asked a critical question.

“It was the first day of 2024 and I won one million dollars; the first thing out of my friend’s mouth was, ‘How many horseshoes do you have up your [behind]?!’ We laughed about it for a while after that!”

Strong said he celebrated his win with a quick trip to Las Vegas, where he, understandably, splurged a bit.

“I ordered an expensive steak for dinner one night… just because I could,” he laughed. “I definitely went a bit harder than I usually would, and it was fun, but now I want to be smart with the money.”

Planning for the future, he said he will put some of his winnings away into TFSAs and RRSPs.

“I know a million bucks doesn’t go as far as it used to, and I want to be sure that it lasts.”

Strong purchased his winning ticket from the Southgate Lottery kiosk inside Southgate Shopping Centre at 5015 111th Street NW in Edmonton.