‘I thought he was lying to me:’ Summerland couple celebrates Lotto Max win

The seven random numbers a Summerland couple has been playing for seven years have paid off — to the tune of more than $1 million.

Robert Bitte and Leah Schmidt matched six numbers and the bonus to win $1,052,328.10 in the Lotto Max on May 1.

“I started playing Lotto Max seven years ago,” Bitte said. “I picked seven random numbers and have stuck with them since.”

Bitte said now that he and his wife have won big with their seven numbers, he’s choosing a new set of seven numbers for Lotto Max draws going forward.

The couple said they were at home when they decided to check the numbers on the night of the Lotto Max draw. Schmidt said she was just about to leave the house to go for a hike when she heard a commotion from her husband.

“He started yelling, and I was thinking to myself, ‘What is happening’,” Schmidt. “I thought he was lying to me.”

The couple plans to buy an electric mountain bike and a new kayak.

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