A Winnipeg man and his family are the winners of the largest lotto jackpot prize in Manitoba history.
John Chua, along with his wife, Jhoana, mother Angie Chua, and uncle Ben Lagman claimed their $60 million prize Tuesday.
John said he was originally jealous that someone in Winnipeg had won the prize, not knowing it was him.
It wasn’t until he received an email from Playnow.com with a notice of a LOTTOMAX prize that he realized he’d won big.
“I thought it might be a Free Play or something. But it said $60 million – I was confused, so I checked on PlayNow.com when I got home,” he said in a press release.
“And there it was; I didn’t see it earlier in the morning.”
The payout of $60,000,020 is the largest in the province’s history and the biggest payout ever for a Canadian lotto ticket bought online.
John and his family matched all seven winning numbers for the draw – 11, 21, 23, 25, 28, 41 and 43.
“He always plays jokes – he’s a joker, so I didn’t believe it,” Angie said. “I believe now that it’s real.”
“Now we’re not just dreaming any more.”
John says he’ll likely keep playing the lottery, but isn’t sure what they be spending their money on aside from a new home.
“I wasn’t really expecting anything – I was hoping for just a little to put toward a house,” explained John.
“There’s a lot of things that come to mind – but I’m going to take my time. I want to be wise. We’ve got
kids and need to think for our future. I just want to take the time and do the smart thing.”
The province’s previous record was a $50 million LOTTO MAX jackpot won in 2009 by a couple from Sagkeeng First Nation.
The next-largest lottery win in Winnipeg was a $27.2 million LOTTO 6/49 prize won in 2005.
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