'It's still just surreal': Work trip turns into $500K lotto win for B.C. man

A northern B.C. man is $500,000 richer after picking a winning ticket while on a work trip in Richmond.

It's been nearly a month since Moberly Lake resident Rudy Paquette matched all four of the Extra numbers from the Dec. 15 Lotto Max draw and the news is still sinking in.

"It really hasn't hit home," Paquette told the B.C. Lottery Corporation in a news release about winning the half-million-dollar prize. "It's still just surreal."

Paquette was in Richmond for work when he discovered he had won at an International News store on River Road — the same retailer he purchased the ticket from.

"I thought it was someone else who won at first and the retailer who scanned my ticket had to tell me it was me who won," Paquette recalled.

He couldn't wait to share the news with his wife, who was "very happy" for him.

As for what he plans to do with his winnings, Paquette has a few ideas.

"House renovations are the bucket list item. I want to make it look new," he said. "All of the extras can come later."

Paquette also hopes to take a trip to Las Vegas for a golf tournament.

According to the BCLC, lottery players in B.C. redeemed more than $38 million in winnings from the Extra and more than $212 million from Lotto Max in 2023.

The Extra is an add-on option available with the Daily Grand, Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max and BC/49.

Matching all four Extra numbers gets a top prize of $500,000. The odds of winning that amount are approximately one in 3,764,376, according to the BCLC.