A Calgary man who won $16.3 million from a Lotto 6-49 draw says he doesn’t want to change “much” about his life.
“I have a lot to learn about how to manage this much money,” Alfonso Buonomo explained in a Thursday news release from the Western Canada Lottery Corporation. “I want to be smart, learn how to invest it properly and let it snowball.”
Buonomo discovered he had won the jackpot from the Jan. 2 draw while checking his tickets a Co-op gas bar on Symons Valley Road N.W.
“I actually thought the prize amount was a barcode number when I first scanned the ticket,” he said. “I was shocked! I couldn’t move.”
Buonomo was on his way to get groceries when he stopped at the gas bar. He started to go home, but decided he needed some time to think. So, he turned around to complete his initial errand.
Buonomo said his first priority will be to pay off the mortgage on his home.
“My brother-in-law told me not to get a Lamborghini,” he laughed. “I’d be happy with a new motorcycle and a second vehicle.”
Buonomo bought his winning ticket at the same gas bar where he discovered the win.