Lottery winner bought ticket as "a treat" and netted a huge payout

A lottery winner in Saskatchewan says she gets lottery tickets sometimes as a treat, and she sure lucked out last month with a huge payout.

Humboldt resident Marianne Elliott told the Western Canada Lottery (WCLC) she couldn’t believe her eyes when she scratched her $500 Grand instant ticket and revealed that she had won the game’s top prize.

“I had to look at it about five times because I was kind of in shock,” she told the WCLC as she claimed her prize.

Elliott was overcome with emotion at her win – and when she called her husband to double-check the ticket, he thought something was wrong.

You might also like:
• An Alberta mountain town has been named one of the most underrated in Canada
• “I was in disbelief": Lottery winner had to check her ticket NINE times to believe she won
• Lottery winner says cashier was more excited than he was over big win

“I told him ‘No, you have to check this. I think it’s $500,000!’” she laughed.

The happy winner said she plans to use her windfall toward renovations and bills, while putting the rest away for a rainy day.

Elliott says she purchases tickets occasionally as a treat for herself. She picked up her winning ticket from Thrifty Market at 203 Main Street in Humboldt on October 9.

“It’s very overwhelming. I’m just in shock,” Elliott added.