BC couple shares what they did with $5M lottery winnings

Can you imagine how your life would change if you won the lottery? Maybe you’d jet off to one of the world’s lush tropical islands, buy a sports car, or perhaps build the home you’ve always dreamed of.

Having financial freedom you never imagined possible can provide a bounty of new opportunities for you. But that’s the thing about the lottery, everyday people do win; you just don’t always hear how the win impacts their lives.

Port Alberni married couple, Madelaine and Harold, are the perfect example of this. On February 9 this year, they became millionaires when they matched all six numbers in the Lotto 6/49 draw.

But they didn’t take home just one million — it was five.

The couple has been Lotto 6/49 players for many years, playing every Wednesday and Saturday.

They purchased the winning ticket at the A-1 Convenience Store on Redford Street in Port Alberni, unaware that this day would be a monumental point in their lives.

“When the clerk at the store checked the ticket, the machine froze and lit up $5,000,000,” said Harold, describing the surreal moment they discovered they were lottery winners.

The first question that Harold asked his wife was if she wanted a new house. And Madelaine’s response may surprise you.

“No way. That’s where we raised our kids,” she said.

Having “the best view in the city” from their deck, where they love spending time, is another reason Madelaine is happy to stay in the home that means the world to them. Family is everything to the couple, and having financial freedom means they can help those closest to them.

Madelaine feels that the lottery win is “still sinking in,” however, the biggest thing for her is being able to help her kids and grandkids and make their lives a little easier. “Maybe one of our sons won’t have to go away to work anymore.”

Aside from helping their kids out, new cars will be on the agenda, including a 1966 Jaguar XKE for Harold. They also plan to give their home an update with renovations and head to Mexico for a sun holiday to spend time with their loved ones.

Madelaine and Harold are among the 24 millionaires made so far in BC in 2019.*  The reality is anyone can win the lottery — and you could even be next. We’ll let that sink in for a moment!

For more information, hear even more inspiring lottery winner stories, and to buy lottery tickets online, visit playnow.com. Must be 19+ to play.

*Winning stats include $1,000,000+ winners between January 1, 2019, and September 12, 2019.