Here's how this year's BC lottery winners plan on spending their jackpot
BC lottery winners took home $859 million in 2023, according to BCLC, which means a lot of dreams came true this year around Metro Vancouver and beyond.
What would you do if you won the big one? The lucky lotto players around the province are preparing to tackle their bucket list, take care of family, and even embark on amazing vacations.
Here’s what these winners have planned with their lotto winnings.
“We were vibrating with excitement!”
BCLC
Rhonda Malesku of Kamloops, BC, was delighted to find that out when she won a life-changing $35 million from the July 25, 2023, Lotto Max draw.
“I let out a huge scream and kept saying, ‘I won $35 million!’” shared Malesku. “I opened up the back door and started screaming it outside to my husband Sam and we both started shaking.
Family is the most important thing to the Kamloops resident, and she plans to build her son and daughter their dream homes, as well as one for herself.
Malesku said that she will be gifting some money to other family members, and then purchasing a truck and a travel trailer to visit the East Coast with her loved ones.
“I had too many people that I appreciate and have helped me out.”
Ryan Naus of Victoria, BC, was waiting for a friend at Craigflower Foods when he decided on a whim to buy a Set for Life Scratch & Win ticket. It turned out to be the right call, as the ticket ended up landing him the game’s top prize of $675,000.
“I had too many people that I appreciate and have helped me out, but [my good friend] Trish was the first person I called,” shared Naus. “She said, ‘No way!’”
The Victoria resident added that he plans to explore Canada’s mountain and beach landscapes by van and that he will help his family and those around him “to enjoy the win together.”
“It took everything in me not to scream.”
Lahsen Rezrazi and Debbie Ramsay of Victoria, BC, have come forward with one of the two winning tickets of the recent $70 million Lotto Max Jackpot.
By matching all seven numbers in the Tuesday, June 6 draw, the ecstatic couple won half of the maxed-out prize.
Rezrazi and Ramsay said that they would use the money to purchase a house by the ocean as well as a Mercedes camper van to go on a road trip across Canada. The couple also plans on making several stops along the way to visit family.
“We’re going to go surprise relatives at the door to give them money,” said Ramsay. “Helping family is the biggest thing for us, and we can’t wait to see their faces.”
“Everybody started to dance”
BCLC
A group of 24 colleagues from a production company in Burnaby, BC, have come forward as the winners of the Daily Grand top prize from the April 10, 2023 draw.
The team chose to accept the life-changing lump-sum payment of $7 million over the $1,000-a-day-for-life option. And some of them got the news a bit past their bedtime.
“It was 10:30 pm, it was late, but I still called a few in the group. They were excited and said, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s us,’” said Iuliana Petrovici, who coordinates lottery purchases on behalf of the group of colleagues. “I was at home, and I got goosebumps all over my body! I started shaking and I asked my husband to double-check.”
The chances of winning the huge jackpot are 1 in 13,348,188. The group members plan to use their respective shares to buy new cars, go on dream vacations, and finish home renovations.
“Overwhelming and exciting”
Yvonne Sinclair of Richmond, BC, was left in disbelief when she won $5 million by matching all six numbers from the Lotto 6/49 Classic Jackpot draw on December 3, 2022.
“I was at home and checked the website and thought ‘no, it can’t be,’” shared Sinclair. “My son also scanned the ticket [on the Lotto! App] with his phone. I [couldn’t] believe it!”
Sinclair explained that she wasn’t in an immediate rush to claim her prize, as she wanted to take some time to decide her next steps. Her plans include buying a house for her family, going on a tropical vacation, and helping her children with their school tuition.
“I thought, ‘Is this real? Me? Really?’”
Thelma Florence of Hope, BC, won the Guaranteed Prize of $1 million from the Lotto 6/49 draw held on April 1, 2023.
“I thought, ‘Is this real? Me? Really?’”’ Florence said. “I sent a screenshot of the app into the family group chat and everyone wondered if it was a late April Fools’ Day joke.”
Florence added that she is “happy and excited” for her and her family and plans to purchase a new car in her favourite colour, green. She also looks forward to helping her grandchildren into new vehicles as well.
“This will for sure change my life”
Andrew Marlowe of North Vancouver, BC, won a guaranteed prize of $100,000 from the Lotto 6/49 draw held on March 25, 2023.
The new parent shared that the win will help set up his family to “get where we want to go.”
“I was most excited to share the news with my partner. She told me to be quiet because the baby was sleeping and she thought I was joking,” Marlowe said with a laugh.
Marlowe said that he will contribute “a nice chunk of change” towards a home for his family, and will also donate a portion of his prize to some local charities.
“I am very grateful and thankful”
Miriam Nacionales/BCLC
Miriam Nacionales was at Dundas Market in Vancouver with her son when she learned that she won $1 million from the July 1, 2023 Lotto 6/49 draw.
“I remembered to check the ticket I shared with a friend,” Nacionales explained. “I also found my other ticket I had not checked yet. “The [ticket self-scanner] was a bit higher than my eyes, so I was on my tippy toes and saw lots of zeroes!”
As well as buying a home, Nacionales shared that she plans on using some of her winnings to assist her family and visit her home country in Europe.
When asked how it feels to win $1 million in Lotto 6/49, she responded, “Exciting and shocking. I am very grateful and thankful.”
“I had trouble sleeping because I kept thinking I was dreaming”
Ronald Cacacho of Surrey, BC, was stunned after he won the top prize of $2 million from the September 30, 2023, BC/49 draw.
Cacacho was at a mall when he checked the ticket on a self-checker and learned he matched all six numbers.
“Of course, I had to tell my wife and then my kids. They didn’t believe me at first,” he added.
Cacacho, originally from the Philippines, celebrated his jackpot with his family during their Thanksgiving celebration last weekend. He shared that he plans to use part of his winnings to start a small business back home, pay off his mortgage, and give some to his kids.