Crossword-loving grandma who thought she won $5,000 realized her lotto prize was actually a lot larger
A recent lottery winner excitedly told her daughter she was suddenly $5,000 richer. She was wrong.
Donna Tsakoza, a soon-to-be retiree who lives in the British Columbia First Nations community of Prophet River, won big with a scratch ticket. Bigger than she realized.
She bought a Luxury Crossword Scratch & Win ticket from a Petro Canada station, and was in her office when she started to scratch it.
She thought she'd matched 10 words, meaning she'd win $5,000, and let her daughter in on the news.
Then she realized there was one more match.
"I looked it over three times because I was hoping it wasn't a mistake," she said through a B.C. Lottery Corporation news release.
Matching 11 words entitles her to 20 times the prize she thought she'd won. Finding herself suddenly $100,000 richer, Tsakoza said she plans to buy a new vehicle as she heads into retirement.
She said she'll also give some of the prize to her granddaughter.
Patrick Lamour is seen in a photo from BCLC.
Another recent B.C. winner claimed an even larger prize. In fact, Patrick Lamour's Keno ticket prize is the largest ever awarded at a retail location in the province.
Lamour said he thought something was wrong with the machine that checks the tickets when it told him he'd won $400,052.50.
The Merritt resident who bought his winning ticket at a Shell station said he often plays with numbers taken from his children's birthdays, and has been buying Keno tickets about once a month over the last year.
He said he'll be taking his kids out to celebrate, and will gift them both part of his prize.
Lamour told BCLC he's not yet sure what he'll do with the rest.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
2-hour wildfire evacuation notice issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods
A wildfire evacuation alert for some Fort McMurray residents has been updated to a two-hour evacuation notice.
Sask. RCMP provide update on 'significant' sexual assault, child exploitation investigation
Saskatchewan RCMP are set to provide an update on what the service calls a 'significant' sexual assault and internet child exploitation investigation.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
1 killed, 3 injured in head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
Significant police presence as Israeli flag flies at Ottawa City Hall
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.