'So surreal': B.C. man couldn't believe his recent half-a-million-dollar lotto win

Michael Heater is seen in this handout photo from BCLC.

A B.C. man was in disbelief when he won the top Lotto Max Extra prize earlier this month.

Michael Heater discovered he'd won $500,000 from the May 3 draw while at work, but couldn't believe his luck.

"I was in my office when I checked my tickets and thought, 'this can't be real,'" he said in a statement through the B.C. Lottery Corporation. "I called BCLC right away."

Heater said he's "told a lot of people already" about his win, including close friends and family. The Salmon Arm resident, who bought his ticket from Hideaway Liquor Store, said he hasn't figured out how he'll spend all of his winnings, but knows he'd like to get a new truck.

"It will relieve some worries, but I’ve always just played for fun," he said, adding that the win is "exciting and so surreal."

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.