Big lottery wins in the Okanagan

KELOWNA-Retailers say every time there’s a big lotto win in the Okanagan, lottery ticket sales go up.

“People are noticing that it can happen,” says  Amanda Armstrong, manager of the Creekside Pub Liquor Store. “Again it’s shown it has happened so it’s gonna keep on happening, right?”

There were back-to-back jackpot wins in the valley this weekend.  On Friday a Lotto Max ticket purchased in Kelowna won $50 million dollars and on Saturday a 6-49 ticket purchased in Vernon won $5 million.

BCLC has confirmed that a Kelowna woman has come forward to claim the $50 million prize.

In February, Robert Goertzen of Kelowna also won $21.9 million with a lotto 6-49 ticket.

According to the BC Lottery Corporation, the odds of winning a Lotto Max jackpot or Maxmillion prize are one in 28,633,528 per play.

“The biggest I’ve seen was an $18-hundred dollar ticket which was pretty exciting,” says Armstrtong.  “But that’s been in the last eight years that I’ve worked in the business.”