Patience finally paid off for a Burnaby couple, who became B.C.’s newest millionaires this month.
On Tuesday, the B.C. Lottery Corporation announced that Chau Ming (Lana) Leung and her husband, (Joery) Yiu Fai Leung, were the winners of last week’s $6 million Lotto 6-49 draw.
The winning numbers for the March 16 draw were 1, 3, 8, 14, 15, and 16, and the ticket was the only one in Canada to match all six.
The ticket was purchased at a store appropriately named Lucky Mart in Vancouver.
“It’s just unbelievable right now,” said Lana Leung. “It’s the most happiest moment right now for both of us.”
Lana Leung noted that her husband has been picking the same set of numbers for the past 36 years, buying them on the Monday prior to the draw.
“We got lucky that day,” Leung said of buying the tickets at Lucky Market.
Asked how they found out they were winners, the Leungs said their son asked on Saturday afternoon, around 5 p.m., if they had bought tickets for the March 16 draw.
The numbers were familiar to him, said Lana Leung, as they’re based on family birthdays.
The family was at home, with the son texting and dad not immediately replying, leading to the son asking in person.
Lana Leung said Joery handed over the ticket, with the son checking the numbers by phone via the BCLC app.
“(The app) said the ticket was a winner, but my husband thought he was playing a joke on him,” said Lana Leung. “And then my son scanned it again, then he realized we were the winners.”
Lana Leung said the family was in tears, hugging each other that they’d won.
The Leungs say in the short term, they plan to continue working, but possibly in a reduced, semi-retired role.
“The goal is to be happy for now, share with our family,” said Lana Leung, adding they plan on paying off their mortgage first.
The win marked the second time this month that B.C. was home to a major windfall, with uncle and nephew John Bonner and Travis Bonner of Chilliwack splitting the $8 million Lotto 6-49 draw on March 9.