'I jumped and screamed': Gas station fuel stop reveals Canada's newest millionaire
A stop for fuel at a gas station in Alberta revealed a brand-new millionaire, with a High River man remembering to check his lottery ticket in the nick of time.
Julio Benitez had nearly forgotten about the Lotto 6/49 ticket he had tucked in his pocket, but when he stopped to fuel his vehicle, he discovered he won $1 million on the Aug. 22 Lotto 6/49 Guaranteed Prize draw.
“I had it in my pocket and forgot to check it the last time, so I went in when I was filling up gas,” recalled Benitez to Lotto Spot. “Then the screen went black, and I thought I broke it. I didn’t understand what was happening, but the guy told me I won some money.”
Still unsure of exactly what he had won, Benitez tried to make sense of the validation slip on his own.
“The cashier was on the phone, and I grabbed the slip to try and count the numbers,” he laughed. “I thought maybe $1,000, then $10,000 — I couldn’t believe it!”
When the reality of the win started to set in, the excitement was impossible to contain.
“I left the store and jumped and screamed, ‘Thank you, God!'” he said.
Benitez said he already knows how the prize money will make a difference in his life and the lives of those closest to him: “I’m going to pay bills and help my family,” he said. “My son has a baby on the way. This is great timing. It feels like a dream.”
Benitez won the $1 million guaranteed prize on a Lotto 6/49 ticket purchased from the Flying J, located at 11511 40th St. SE in Calgary. His winning selection was: 30526413-01.
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