B.C. man feels 'overwhelming amount of joy' after $500K lottery win
![Michael Strauch Lottery winner Michael Strauch is seen in a photo posted to the BCLC's website.](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/5/11/michael-strauch-1-6883679-1715477313509.jpg)
A Salmon Arm, B.C., resident is now $500,000 richer after matching four out of four Extra numbers on a recent Lotto Max ticket.
Michael Strauch bought the ticket at Matchbox Smoke and Vape Shop in Salmon Arm, and the cashier told him he had won big.
“The retailer said, ‘You are a winner! You just won $500,000.’ I was freaking out and said, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this is a dream,” Strauch recalled in a Thursday media release from the B.C. Lottery Corporation.
He said other customers in the store congratulated him on the prize. “We were happy together in that moment,” he said. “It was really beautiful.”
When Strauch shared the news with his partner, he remembers, “We cried together, and she felt so much joy for me and for our future.”
He plans to use his winnings to buy a home and save for retirement.
“This win gives me the ability to slow down if I want to. Every day is a celebration now. We can relax and buy a home and that brings an overwhelming amount of joy and gratitude into our lives,” Strauch said.
According to the BCLC, lottery players in the province have redeemed more than $15 million in winnings from the Extra and over $46 million from Lotto Max so far in 2024.
The odds of winning the $500,000 top prize on the Extra are one in 3,764,376.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7029443.1725744633!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Police release video of Toronto plaza shooting that killed university student
A university student from Brampton was killed when two shooters fired indiscriminately into a crowded plaza in Toronto last month in what police say was a 'cowardly act.'
'Hopeless and helpless': Regina mother seeks help to treat rare spinal disease
Mary Grace Rico is seeking help in getting treatment for a rare spinal condition.
The iPhone is getting a 'glow' up. What to expect from Apple's Monday event
Apple excited fans with its vision for its 'Apple Intelligence' artificial intelligence system earlier this year. Now, it's time for the company to prove it really works.
No more porta-potties at B.C. construction sites starting Oct. 1
What some B.C. construction workers describe as the worst aspect of their jobs will be coming to an end next month, the province announced.
Trump campaigns in Wisconsin just days ahead of debate with Harris
With just days to go before his first — and likely only — debate against U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump leaned into his familiar grievances about everything from his indictments to the border as he campaigned in one of the most deeply Republican swaths of battleground Wisconsin.
'Extremely vigorous' wildfire activity in central B.C. prompts crews to back off for safety
The wildfire fight in central B.C. intensified Friday, according to officials.
They were due to leave for their dream cruise in May. Three months on they’re still stuck at the departure port
It was the years-long cruise that was supposed to set sail, but saw its departure postponed… postponed… and postponed again.
Aryna Sabalenka beats Jessica Pegula to win the U.S. Open for her third Grand Slam title
Aryna Sabalenka got past Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in a rollicking U.S. Open women’s final Saturday to win her first championship at Flushing Meadows and third Grand Slam title of her career.