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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lethbridge local wins lottery for the third time in less than a year
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
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Lethbridge local wins lottery for the third time in less than a year
Article content Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content Article content 'I know the odds are astronomical,' Serkin told Lotto Spot. 'I don't think it'll happen again, but I still like buying tickets.' Article content Article content Serkin won his $1 million prize on the May 3 LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball draw with the selection 24645097-05, a white ball. Article content The odds for the Gold Ball Draw are determined for each draw by the total number of selections issued across Canada. Article content He described his family as being in disbelief of the win. Article content 'I went for coffee with the boys after I checked my ticket,' he said. 'They asked to see it and said, 'Not again?!'' Article content Serkin said he took his wife to Hawaii after his last win, and is planning a trip to Newfoundland with his latest prize. Article content 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. Article content Article content 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. Article content That compares to 11 winners in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where players in there were awarded $17 million and $53 million respectively. Article content Calgarians took home the most out of the larger prairie cities, ending up with $108.3 million among 22 winners. Article content The next luckiest were Edmontonians, where 12 jackpot tickets racked up $23 million. Article content 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. Article content 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 WCLC spokesperson Emily Olsen. Article content She said 60 per cent of the lottery company's sales are made in Alberta, with 20 per cent each in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lotto 6/49: Calgary man puts off claiming $1M Gold Ball prize for 3 months in order to avoid the cold
Laszlo Kovacs isn't the biggest fan of winter. In fact, the Calgary man avoided claiming his Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball ticket for three months — all because he didn't want to go out in the cold. 'It was very cold,' said Kovacs at the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) prize centre. 'I don't like to drive far when it's like that.' He had purchased the ticket for the Nov. 20, 2024 draw but didn't scan it until December. That's when he discovered he'd won $1 million — a surprise that left him stunned. 'I couldn't believe it,' he said. 'I was jumping up and down inside!' Even after realizing he'd won big, Kovacs waited until March 2025 to officially claim his prize. He sat on the ticket, waiting for the weather to warm up before making the trip. 'I'm glad I kept the receipt!' he said. 'It helped me remember all the details months later.' The winning ticket was purchased at Sandstone Pharmacy, located at 4-3525 26 Avenue SE in Calgary. Kovacs won in the Gold Ball Draw with the selection 31765145-01 — a white ball worth $1 million. Before doing anything else, he plans to celebrate the win at home with his cat, Muci, who might be in for a few extra treats. 'He is already spoiled!' Kovacs said. 'He doesn't need any more toys — but will probably get some!' While the prize won't be funding anything too flashy, Kovacs says he's excited to use it in a meaningful way. 'I was raised to save my money,' he said. 'I may go on a trip though; I would love to go to Croatia!' One of his long-time dreams is to attend a soccer game abroad. 'I do cheer for a lot of football [soccer] teams, and I'd like to see one if I can!' he said. Even now with the warmer weather coming in, the reality of the win hasn't fully set in. 'I still can't wrap my head around it — it definitely makes life easier!' said Kovacs. Lotto 6/49 offers players the chance to win two multi-million-dollar jackpots on every $3 play. The Classic Draw offers a $5-million jackpot every Wednesday and Saturday. The Gold Ball draw, however, is a new format introduced in September 2022, and guarantees a winner every time. It starts at $10 million, and includes 30 balls in the draw: 29 white and 1 gold. Each white ball is worth $1 million, whereas the gold ball represents the lucky jackpot prize. This Gold Ball jackpot continues to grow by $2 million each time a white ball is drawn, until it reaches $68 million with no more white balls remaining — which then guarantees a Gold Ball winner. If you're looking to take a break from gambling, self-exclusion programs can be effective tools. See here for resources that are available across Canada.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lotto 6/49: Calgary man puts off claiming $1M Gold Ball prize for 3 months in order to avoid the cold
Laszlo Kovacs isn't the biggest fan of winter. In fact, the Calgary man avoided claiming his Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball ticket for three months — all because he didn't want to go out in the cold. 'It was very cold,' Kovacs said while claiming his prize at the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC). 'I don't like to drive far when it's like that.' He had purchased the ticket for the Nov. 20, 2024 draw but didn't scan it until December. That's when he discovered he'd won $1 million — a surprise that left him stunned. 'I couldn't believe it,' he said. 'I was jumping up and down inside!' Even after realizing he'd won big, Kovacs waited until March 2025 to officially claim his prize. He sat on the ticket, waiting for the weather to warm up before making the trip. 'I'm glad I kept the receipt!' he said. 'It helped me remember all the details months later.' The winning ticket was purchased at Sandstone Pharmacy, located at 4-3525 26 Avenue SE in Calgary. Kovacs won in the Gold Ball Draw with the selection 31765145-01 — a white ball worth $1 million. Before doing anything else, he plans to celebrate the win at home with his cat, Muci, who might be in for a few extra treats. 'He is already spoiled!' Kovacs said. 'He doesn't need any more toys — but will probably get some!' While the prize won't be funding anything too flashy, Kovacs says he's excited to use it in a meaningful way. 'I was raised to save my money,' he said. 'I may go on a trip though; I would love to go to Croatia!' One of his long-time dreams is to attend a soccer game abroad. 'I do cheer for a lot of football [soccer] teams, and I'd like to see one if I can!' he said. Even now with the warmer weather coming in, the reality of the win hasn't fully set in. 'I still can't wrap my head around it — it definitely makes life easier!' said Kovacs. Lotto 6/49 offers players the chance to win two multi-million-dollar jackpots on every $3 play. The Classic Draw offers a $5-million jackpot every Wednesday and Saturday. The Gold Ball draw, however, is a new format introduced in September 2022, and guarantees a winner every time. It starts at $10 million, and includes 30 balls in the draw: 29 white and 1 gold. Each white ball is worth $1 million, whereas the gold ball represents the lucky jackpot prize. This Gold Ball jackpot continues to grow by $2 million each time a white ball is drawn, until it reaches $68 million with no more white balls remaining — which then guarantees a Gold Ball winner. If you're looking to take a break from gambling, self-exclusion programs can be effective tools. See here for resources that are available across Canada.
Global News
08-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
$60-million 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot winner in Ontario purchased ticket online
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation says the winning ticket for the $60-million 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot from Wednesday's draw was purchased online. The lucky winner bought their ticket on for the May 7 draw. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Two Encore tickets, each worth $100,000, were also purchased online. 'That means the winners have already received an email notifying them of their $60 million jackpot or big Encore prize,' the OLG said. The Lotto 6/49 draw is every Wednesday and Saturday, and is $3 per play. 'The Gold Ball Draw guarantees a $1 million prize, or the growing jackpot that starts at $10 million and can exceed $60 million,' the lottery company said.
