A Calgary man literally couldn’t believe his eyes when he checked his lottery ticket earlier this month.
A few days after the Jan. 3 Lotto 6/49 draw, Derek Maher took his ticket into a 7-Eleven to check his numbers on the self-serve ticket checker. As soon as he scanned it, he knew he won something but he couldn’t quite see how much.
“I didn’t have my glasses, so I couldn’t read it,” Maher said. “The numbers were blurry — but there were a lot of them.”
Maher called his daughter into the store to help clear up the situation. As it turned out, he was the sole winner of the $5-million jackpot.
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Maher hasn’t made too many plans with his winnings yet, but said a cruise to Panama with his mother is a possibility. He also said the money will help provide long-term financial security for his children.
Maher purchased his $19 ticket at the 7-Eleven located at 166 Crowfoot Way N.W.