Advertisement

'Mind boggling': Burnaby man wins million-dollar lottery prize — for the second time

Millions of Canadians dream of winning the lottery. But for a man in Burnaby, B.C., that dream has become a reality — not once, but twice.

On May 4, 2016, David O'Brien won a $5-million prize after matching all six numbers playing Lotto 6/49.

Then last month, on June 20, he won the $1-million guaranteed prize playing the same game. He had purchased the million-dollar ticket at a 7-Eleven store on Kingsway in Burnaby.

O'Brien, who is retired and has played the lottery for as long as he can remember, said the win feels "mind boggling."

The odds of winning the lotto 6/49 jackpot are roughly one in 14 million.

When O'Brien hit the jackpot in 2016, he said he'd already won life's lotto when he met his wife, and he planned to spend some of the winnings treating her.

Then last month when O'Brien broke the news to his wife that he had won for a second time, she didn't believe him.

"She thought I was joking," he told the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC). O'Brien said they celebrated with coffee and cake.

In terms of how he plans to spend the money, O'Brien said he loves to travel and has always wanted to go to India.

So will he continue playing the lottery, hoping the third time's a charm?

"Yes. I really like playing," he said.