Life has changed for a B.C. resident. Winning $55 million will do that.
On Tuesday, the B.C. Lottery Corporation revealed that William Scott Gurney of Vancouver Island was the big winner of the massive Lotto Max jackpot on Feb. 28.
Gurney bought the ticket just prior to the draw, saying he was in Save-On-Foods in Sidney when he decided to spend $20 at the store’s customer centre.
The announcement was broadcast live on Facebook, with Gurney saying he found out the next day, on March 1, that someone in the Saanich area was the lucky winner.
“I was sitting in my office, (the jackpot news) was all over the radio,” recalled Gurney, who checked his ticket on the BCLC Lotto! App.
“I called my assistant to my office, and she initially read the number on my phone as $55,000 — she then realized it said $55 million and we couldn’t do anything all day after.”
Gurney, noting he checked the lottery app three times and the BCLC website as well, said winning was “pretty surreal, a pretty incredible feeling.”
Originally, Gurney said he wasn’t going to reveal that he’d won the jackpot until May, but it became harder to keep the news secret, so he pushed up the timeline.
“We all play to win; very few of us are lucky to do that,” said Gurney. “I’m lucky enough to be one of those few.”
As for what he plans to do with his winnings, Gurney said he’s going to take some time before deciding.
However, he’ll be purchasing a home on Vancouver Island — something with a dock, as he loves crabbing — and an overseas vacation residence as well.
Oh, and this: Gurney is a bookkeeper by profession and is focused on finding someone to look after his clients before retiring, but confirmed that he “will not be returning for another tax season.”