B.C. man to plan dream Alaska fishing trip after $1M lottery win
When B.C. man Sim Chua first found out he was going to be $1 million richer, he had only one thing on his mind – the picturesque rivers of Alaska and their abundant salmon and trout populations.
The Mackenzie resident and avid fisherman had checked his winning ticket at the lotto kiosk inside the Mackenzie Mall on Mackenzie Boulevard, the same place he had bought it from prior to the May 14 Lotto 6/49 draw.
'I passed it to the retailer,' recalled Chua when detailing his win to the B.C. Lottery Corporation.
'Before scanning, she was telling me about how someone won $1 million in Mackenzie. Then she scanned the ticket and then said, 'Hey, it's you!''
Chua said he was most excited to share the news with his sister, whose ear-splitting response was one of pure surprise.
'She was just screaming so much on the phone. She couldn't believe it!'
Still coming to terms with news of the life-changing win, Chua says the knowledge that he is now a millionaire still hasn't quite sunk in.
'I don't know what to do with myself,' he said.
'It's still unreal to me.'
One thing he does know for certain is how the cash will be spent. Chua plans to use some of his winnings to purchase a new car, and to visit his ultimate vacation destination of Alaska.
The 'dream trip' will involve plenty of fly fishing, he said.
The odds of winning the main Lotto 6/49 jackpot – which requires matching all six numbers drawn without using the bonus number – are approximately one in 14 million, according to the BCLC.
The odds of winning a guaranteed prize of $1 million or more in the Gold Ball Draw depend on the number of tickets sold.
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