Lethbridge local wins lottery for the third time in less than a year

Yahoo

4 days ago

David Serkin of Lethbridge has taken home his third large lottery prize in less than a year.
The cancer survivor won $500,000 on the August 20 LOTTO MAX draw, $1 million on the November 16 LOTTO 6/49 draw and most recently $1 million prize on the May 3 LOTTO 6/49 Classic draw, totalling $2.5 million in lottery wins in less than nine months.
He also won a $250,000 lottery prize 12 years ago.
Western Canada Lottery Corp. described this win as rare in a news release, saying the odds of winning the LOTTO MAX jackpot or a MAXMILLIONS prize are both 1 in 33,294,800. The odds of winning the LOTTO 6/49 $5 million Classic Draw are 1 in 13,983,816.
'I know the odds are astronomical,' Serkin told Lotto Spot. 'I don't think it'll happen again, but I still like buying tickets.'
Serkin won his $1 million prize on the May 3 LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball draw with the selection 24645097-05, a white ball.
The odds for the Gold Ball Draw are determined for each draw by the total number of selections issued across Canada.
He purchased the ticket while buying gas, and seeing the Gold Ball draw getting close to the final ball selection, asked himself 'what do I have to lose?'
He described his family as being in disbelief of the win.
'I went for coffee with the boys after I checked my ticket,' he said. 'They asked to see it and said, 'Not again?!''
Serkin said he took his wife to Hawaii after his last win, and is planning a trip to Newfoundland with his latest prize.
Multiple wins, while unusual, are a well-known phenomenon in lottery play all over the world, according to WCLC spokesperson Emily Olsen.
WCLC reviewed Serkin's recent wins and concluded that they are all legitimate, having purchased his winning tickets four months apart and at different retail locations.
'Since wins occur randomly — without a pattern and by chance — multiple wins are entirely possible and do happen,' Olsen said.
WCLC conducts reviews when unusual occurrences such as Serkin's wins take place. This does not indicate suspicion, but is to demonstrate WCLC's commitment to ensuring the right prize is paid to the right player.
The Lethbridge local has been playing since LOTTO 6/49 launched in 1982. His most recent winning ticket was purchased from Shell Lethbridge at 2440 Fairway Plaza Road S in Lethbridge.
Serkin isn't the only lucky Albertan playing the lottery. The province saw 55 people taking home prizes of $1 million or higher in 2024, totalling $237.3 million.
That compares to 11 winners in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where players in there were awarded $17 million and $53 million respectively.
Calgarians took home the most out of the larger prairie cities, ending up with $108.3 million among 22 winners.
The next luckiest were Edmontonians, where 12 jackpot tickets racked up $23 million.
WCLC's largest prize in 2024 — $70 million — was won by Beaverlodge resident Brian Hoover. The second largest prize — $66 million — was won by Calgarian James Jutzi.
Those lopsided windfall results can be attributed to Alberta — and Calgary's — larger populations and a greater tendency for people here to try their luck, said Olsen.
She said 60 per cent of the lottery company's sales are made in Alberta, with 20 per cent each in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Calgary currently has one unclaimed prize of $1 million from a LOTTO/649 ticket purchased on Aug. 24, 2025 with the winning numbers 26209629-02.
— Files from Bill Kaufmann