Property in the Caribbean.
That’s what a B.C. woman is eyeing after hitting the lottery jackpot earlier this month.
On Thursday, the B.C. Lottery Corporation announced that Tammy Manning of McBride won $13 million after matching all seven numbers for the Lotto Max draw on March 19.
Manning bought the lucky ticket from a Husky/Esso station in the village of McBride, using the QuickPick option.
McBride is located about two hours east of Prince George, on Highway 16, and isn’t far from Mount Robson Provincial Park.
“I went to the Husky that I always go to and the retailer knows who I am,” Manning said in a press release.
“I checked the ticket on the self-checker and suddenly the amount appeared across the screen. All I said was ‘No!’ I just didn’t believe it and kept saying ‘No!’ to myself. I had to have the retailer check the ticket on his machine.”
Store operator Amber Bhaskar witnessed Manning’s reactions at the time.
“When Tammy validated her ticket … she was about to fall down,” said Bhaskar. “She’s a loyal customer since we moved here – it’s really happy to see somebody winning from the local town.”
Now a multimillionaire, Manning says she has a few ideas regarding what’s next.
Her first item was to get a tattoo of March 19, 2021, on her arm. Etching the date in ink was her son, a tattoo artist.
Manning said her first priority was paying off her house, followed by perhaps purchasing property in the Caribbean along with a sailboat for her and her partner to enjoy. She also plans to give some money to her family.
“It feels so good that I’m able to help and do something good with it,” she added. “This will change my life and it means I can retire and can help those close to me.”