Lottery winner waited six months to claim prize because he wanted "a plan"
A lottery winner in Edmonton waited for half a year before stepping up and claiming his prize due to wanting to get a plan in order for when he got the cash.
Semy Raja stepped forward this month to claim a $1 million Western Max prizeĀ heās held on to since the June 21, 2022 draw. He won by exactly matching the winning numbersĀ 22, 27, 32, 35, 40, and 47.
Raja discovered his win the day after the draw but told the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) he waited to claim his prize because heĀ wanted to speak with a financial advisor to come up with a plan first.
He purchased his winning ticket from North Central Co-Op at 2331 66th Street NW in Edmonton on the evening of the draw.
He said he didnāt know his ticket was a winner until he headed back to a storeĀ and scanned it on a self-checker.
“I didnāt know I was holding onto a winning ticket until I went into the store,” Raja explained to the WCLC asĀ he claimed his prize.
He said he couldnāt believe his eyes when the self-checker told him heĀ was about to be a millionaire.
“āI was so shocked,” he said. “I had to check it five or six times.”
After giving himself a few months to think things over, Raja said he has a few plans for his windfall.
“Iām going to take a holiday and the rest Iāll invest for the future,” he explained.
“It feels unreal when you see all those zeroes.”
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