There are millionaires among us.
Three of the four winners of Saturday’s record $63-million 6/49 jackpot bought their tickets in Metro Vancouver, according to the BC Lottery Corporation.
“Each of the winning ticket holders, two in Surrey and one in Vancouver, will be taking home more than $15.8-million,” said BCLC spokesman Chris Fairclough.
The fourth winner bought a ticket in Alberta, he said.
BCLC wouldn’t confirm exactly which Lotto vendors sold the winning tickets, but said on average, British Columbians account for about 12 per cent of ticket sales Canada-wide and win about 12 per cent of the jackpots.
“It’s incredible to have three winners in British Columbia,” Fairclough said.
Saturday’s jackpot was the largest in Canadian history. Shortly before the draw, the pot of $55-million got a massive boost from enthusiastic ticket buyers hoping to cash in on the minute chance they’d hold the winner.
One ticket represents a nearly one-in-14-million chance of winning the jackpot. In other words, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime.
Meanwhile, a portfolio manager is warning the lucky winners to not dole out their winnings on luxury items like exotic cars or mansions – at least at first.
“Sit back, relax and don’t do anything rash,” Adrian Mastracci advised. “Keep it simple. Come up with a game plan and put some money away for the long-term, some for today and say, a charitable donation. There are the sort of things you look at.”
He also recommended the lucky ticket holders park their money for several months and take an extended vacation to calm down from the extreme high of winning.
They could even be more cautious. The winners have a year to come forward, Fairclough said.
"I don't imagine I would wait 52 weeks if I was holding the golden ticket…it could be tomorrow morning, it could be six weeks from now, it could be 45 weeks from now," he said.
"Usually people will give it a week or two to go talk to their financial planner or get some advice, just sit down and think about what they want to do and then they start to come forward."
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Penny Daflos