B.C. couple wins $5M lottery prize, plans to treat family to 'beers, pizza and champagne'

Stacey and Raymond Donison have their family in mind in more ways than one after their Classic Jackpot part of Lotto 6/49.

Couple holding a $5 million cheque.
The Donisons were so shocked by the win that they made sure to double-check their ticket at a nearby BCLC kiosk.(Courtesy: BCLC)

A couple from Victoria, B.C., is looking forward to crossing off the biggest goal off their bucket-list after winning Lotto 6/49’s $5 million Classic Jackpot.

But before they do, Stacey and Raymond Donison want to first celebrate with a classic family dinner.

“Beers, pizza and champagne!” said Raymond.

For the Donisons, it’s all about family. With the jackpot, they’ll now accomplish a life-time goal.

“My bucket list was to make sure that everyone in the family was happy and financially taken care of,” said Raymond.

“This win means the world to us — we can leave a legacy for our grandkids,” said Stacey.

The couple is also now planning a trip to Hawaii, in addition to a big family vacation to celebrate their life-changing moment.

In terms of how they found out about the jackpot, it all began when Stacey was reading peacefully at home when her husband started shouting with joy.

He was in the kitchen watching the Canucks game, but it wasn’t hockey that sparked his excitement. Instead, Raymond was ready to tell his wife that they won the $5 million Classic Jackpot part of the Nov. 18, Lotto 6/49 draw.

“I was in the other room reading. He’s such a jokester I didn’t believe him!” said Stacey, while at the B.C. Lottery Corporation's Vancouver office to pick up their windfall.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” said Raymond, while recalling the moment he discovered his win.

The moment was so shocking that they headed over to Hillside Mall in Victoria to double-check and validate their ticket at the BCLC Lotto kiosk. The machine confirmed that they were holding on to the Classic Jackpot prize.

Lotto 6/49 is a nationwide lottery game drawn on Wednesday and Saturday. It offers players a chance to win two multi-million dollar jackpots for the same $3 play.

The Classic Draw offers a fixed $5 million jackpot for every draw, while the Gold Ball Draw guarantees a $1 million prize, or the growing jackpot that starts at $10 million and can reach $68 million.

The Donison’s winning ticket was purchased at the Esso gas station on Fort and Morrison streets in Victoria, and they matched six out of six – 06, 22, 26, 30, 35, 36 — numbers to win their prize.

So far in 2023 alone, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $115 million in winnings from Lotto 6/49.

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