Langley lotto winner 'had to do a double take,' now making plans for prize money
A Langley, B.C., man is making plans for the future after winning hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Martin Munday won the Extra prize in a December Lotto Max draw, instantly making him $500,000 richer.
"I had to do a double take," he told the B.C. Lottery Corporation.
He said his first thought was to tell his wife, who also had a hard time believing the news.
"She went to work that day," he said in a statement from BCLC Monday. "I don't think I would have been able to."
As for what Munday plans to do with the money, BCLC said his first splurge will be "to spiff-up his vehicle."
Munday said he plans to invest most of the cash, but wants to host a big family dinner to celebrate, when his family feels safe to get together.
The B.C. resident wasn't the only person who won a large sum of cash in the Dec. 17 draw. One ticketholder in Ontario matched all seven numbers to claim the top prize of $70 million, and thousands more won prizes in dollar amounts ranging from a $5 free play up to $250,600.
Munday was the only winner of the top Extra prize, but 73 people across Canada claimed prizes of $1,000, and thousands more won between $1 and $10.
But many more won nothing.
The approximate odds of winning any prize are one in seven, while the odds of winning the jackpot are one in 33,294,800.
Munday beat the odds of winning the top extra prize, which are about one in 3.8 million according to PlayNow.com.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.