Theresa Worthington of Sorrento has been buying lottery tickets for a long time but had never beaten the odds in a big way – until recently.
About a year ago, she began buying a $30 weekly lottery pack to share with her daughter, Alexa.
It was a recent purchase in Kelowna that really paid off.
She and Alexa were walking the dog on Feb. 13 when they stopped in at Munro’s Sorrento Prescriptions to make a purchase and self-check their lottery tickets.
They had won a couple of things, a free play and $20, when the Daily Grand ticket directed Theresa to speak to the retailer – and shut down the machine. But it didn’t say how much they had won.
Theresa was then directed to speak to a BCLC employee on the phone, but they could only confirm she and Alexa had won one of the two top prizes. Because of the long weekend, it wasn’t until Tuesday they learned they’d won a grand total of $500,000.
The choices for one person would be $25,000 a year for life or the lump sum cash payment of $500,000. The top prize is $1,000 a day for life or a lump sum of $7 million.
They were more than satisfied with the half million dollars.
“Which is good, I’m happy with that,” Theresa laughed.
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The approximate odds that BCLC shows for winning the second prize – which is five out of five numbers minus the one grand number – is one in 2.2 million.
Theresa did say she wouldn’t try to check a ticket on a long weekend again, as the suspense was a bit much.
She’s not sure what she’ll do with the new-found funds as she had hoped to travel – until Covid.
She is a registered nurse and intends to continue working as a casual.
Alexa, meanwhile, who lives in Salmon Arm, said the reality of the winnings hasn’t quite registered.
“About the only kind of plan I’ve managed to come up with for me, is pay off my Jeep, otherwise I’m not sure it’s really set in. I told one of my friends in Saskatchewan; she said where in the world are you going to celebrate? Then I realized you can’t go anywhere.”
Alexa also works in health care as a unit clerk and in housekeeping.
She might put some of the money into an account in order to pay for bills so she won’t have to worry so much.
“It’s been a stressful time; it might give me time to take a month off and recharge.”
Alexa said both she and Theresa will keep buying lottery tickets despite the win.
“Even if it’s a dollar or a free play, it’s still fun. More fun if you win big,” she laughed.
marthawickett@saobserver.net
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