A split-second decision to buy a lottery ticket while filling-up with gas on the way home from a fishing trip is a decision Kenneth Giffen is glad he made.
The Abbotsford resident purchased the ticket at the Highways 7 & 9 Esso Gas station near Agassiz and won the $1 million Guaranteed Prize from the June 13, 2020 Lotto 6/49draw.
“I’m excited but it hasn’t soaked in,” Giffen said, after claiming his prize using BCLC’s alternate prize-claim process.
Giffen who plays the lottery “off-and-on,” said he learned he won while sitting in a car wash the day before Father’s Day – since his car was still dirty from the fishing trip.
“At first, I thought it was only a $1,000 win, but I thought (I saw) a lot of zeros so I checked it again, he recalled. “I was pretty anxious while I waited to get out of the car wash. My first thought was my wife and family — I wanted to be able to share the moment with them.”
And share it he did as his wife and children joined him at the car wash shortly after he checked the ticket using the BCLC Lotto! app. On how he plans to spend his win, Giffen said: “It’s really about spending more time with my wife and daughters. It’s the freedom to know it’s going to help with their future.”
So far in 2020, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $72 million in winnings from Lotto 6/49.
