3 friends win $50M Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball lottery — each has different ways for how they'll use their jackpot
'Freedom, peace and joy' are just some of the emotions these former coworkers are feeling.
Alberta’s first Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot win is being shared among three friends, all who "wasted no time" in putting the prize to good use.
In a historic win, Carmen Austria, Gary Perkins and Catherine Wall, longtime friends and former coworkers, celebrated a monumental $50 million Lotto 6/49 win on Dec. 9, 2023. With each slated to receive $16.6 million, the trio immediately started indulging in their new fortune.
“I wasted no time,” said Perkins, while at a media conference with the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC). “I was at the Ford dealership the next day. Got a new truck eight days later.”
Wall found herself in a similar position. Of the three, she was the only who wasn't retired. But with the jackpot, that immediately changed.
“My spouse and I both retired in January. That was an interesting conversation with HR,” said Wall. “They asked me ‘So, when are you thinking of retiring?’ and I said ‘In a week!’”
For Austria, the win meant an immediate five-week trip back to her home country, Chile.
“I couldn’t sleep,” said Austria. “My husband and I decided that right after we got the money we would fly to Chile for five weeks and forget about it. We just took off!”
Despite all the immediate spendings, the three friends are also looking forward to sharing their winnings with their loved ones.
“We’re going to share with our families,” said Austria. “I want my family to know they can relax and enjoy their time — I’m going to take care of them!”
Perkins echoed the sentiment, emphasizing how unbelievable it feels to win such a large prize.
“I haven’t been able to get too far past just sharing with family,” Perkins added. “It’s hard to wrap your head around this much money!”
Having been friends for over two decades, and lottery partners for 17 years, they regard their shared win as a particularly meaningful moment.
“Buying tickets was just a fun thing for us to do; winning together is what makes it so special,” said Perkins.
When asked to describe how this win feels, the group responded: “Freedom, peace and joy.” To the three friends, the win came with many emotions.
“I don’t think anything prepares you for that much emotion,” said Wall. “And now, I just feel happy and grateful — it’s amazing.”
The winning ticket was purchased by Austria for $10 from the Scenic Acres Husky, located on Scenic Acres Blvd in Calgary. Their lucky numbers for the Dec. 9 Gold Ball draw were 25957733-01, and the group won an additional $2 on the night’s Extra draw.
It goes down in history as the first Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot win in Alberta, and in all the Prairies.
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 winner.
Since the games revamp, Albertans have also taken home eight $1 million Gold Ball prizes and won or shared in six Classic Jackpots of $5 million. In all, Albertans have claimed prizes of $1 million or more totalling $89.1 million since Sept. 2022.
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