B.C. winner of record $80M lottery jackpot quits job, vows to give back to community
Justin Simporios from Surrey, B.C., fought back tears of joy at a news conference on Thursday, saying he has already resigned from his job at a logistics company and is thinking about buying a "dream home" in Metro Vancouver as his first purchase.
"I just threw in my resignation through an email, just an hour, two hours before I had this press conference," Simporios said. "I'm working with (a) good operations team, my boss, they're all great."
He said he just wanted to make sure his boss and co-workers knew he wanted to "step away."
"Just giving you guys a heads-up, I'm not coming back," he said, adding they were happy for him.
The B.C. Lottery Corp. said it's the largest jackpot ever won in the province, as well as the largest individual win in Canada.
Simporios, who is married and has a daughter, said he found out he had won the May 9 Lotto Max draw at about 10:30 p.m. that evening, when he heard the prize-winning ticket had been sold in Surrey.
He said he joked with his wife that the family had become millionaires before verifying his ticket.
"She was mad," Simporios said. "She said, 'Can you stop that joke right now because your daughter is sleeping.'"
Simporios then recounted sitting on his bed with a flashlight, tracking the winning numbers while trying to avoid waking his daughter, then realized he had won.
"I shouted. I cried. I turned out the lights. My wife was mad again," he said while laughing.
Simporios said his priority is to give back to the community, pay off his sister's medical school debt and help his mother retire early.
"I've been struggling," he said. "I'm a father. I work full time. I have a daughter. I want to go home. I want to spend time with them, but as a father, you want to balance it out. Should I work? Or should I spend time with my daughter and not have food?
"With this amount of money, I'll be able to spend more time with my daughter, with my wife, with my family. It's awesome, man. Just thank you. I'm just feeling blessed right now."
As for the first item he plans to buy with the money, Simporios did not hesitate.
"We're going to sit down with our financial adviser right away," he said. "But once that meeting is done, it's always a dream home."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
S&P/TSX composite rises Friday, U.S. markets also close higher
TORONTO - Gains in technology stocks helped lift Canada's main stock index on Friday, while U.S. markets also rose. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 122.09 points at 27,494.35. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 208.01 points at 44,901.92. The S&P 500 index was up 25.29 points at 6,388.64, while the Nasdaq composite was up 50.36 points at 21,108.32. The Canadian dollar traded for 72.97 cents US compared with 73.37 cents US on Thursday. The September crude oil contract was down 87 cents US at US$65.16 per barrel. The August gold contract was down US$37.90 at US$3,335.60 an ounce. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025. Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Federal government posts $6.5 billion deficit in April, May
The federal government posted a $6.5 billion deficit in the first two months of the fiscal year. The result for the April-to-May period compared with a $3.8 billion deficit for the same stretch last year. Revenues increased $26 million, virtually unchanged from the prior year, as increases in customs import duties and pollution pricing proceeds to be returned to Canadians were largely offset by a decrease in revenues from corporate income and goods and services taxes. The Finance Department says program expenses excluding net actuarial losses rose $2.9 billion, or four per cent. Public debt charges increased $400 million, or 3.8 per cent, due to an increase in the stock of marketable bonds and higher consumer price index adjustments on real return bonds. Net actuarial losses fell $600 million, or 46.8 per cent. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
S&P/TSX composite rises Friday morning, U.S. markets also higher
TORONTO - Gains in technology stocks helped lift Canada's main stock index in late-morning trading on Friday, while U.S. markets also rose. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 59.05 points at 27,431.31. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 99.67 points at 44,793.58. The S&P 500 index was up 16.59 points at 6,379.94, while the Nasdaq composite was up 42.59 points at 21,100.55. The Canadian dollar traded for 72.97 cents US compared with 73.37 cents US on Thursday. The September crude oil contract was down 42 cents US at US$65.61 per barrel. The August gold contract was down US$40.00 at US$3,333.50 an ounce. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025. Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
