Some would argue the chances of winning the lottery twice in your lifetime are really, really low.
But it happens more than you think and makes me a little annoyed when I can’t even seem to win 10 measly bucks on a ticket.
So, kudos to Burnaby’s luckiest man, David O’Brien, who took home a $1 million Guaranteed Prize back in 2020, and says winning feels “mind-boggling.”
That’s in no small part because the Burnaby man won $5 million playing Lotto 6/49 on May 4, 2016, when he matched all six numbers to win the jackpot.
O’Brien, who purchased his latest winning ticket at a 7-Eleven Store on Kingsway Street in Burnaby, has played Lotto 6/49 for as long as he can remember. He said his wife didn’t believe him when he broke the good news.
“She thought I was joking when I told her,” he recalled after claiming his prize using BCLC’s alternate prize-claim process. They celebrated over cake and coffee the night he learned he’d won.
Will he continue playing the lottery? “Yes – I really like playing,” he said, adding he plans to do more travelling.
But he’s not the only one in B.C. to do this. Prince George’s Fredrick Greene struck it rich playing the Extra in a Lotto Max draw, and won $500,000. That followed his 2014 win of $249,000, which he pocketed after playing Lotto 6/49.
“I’m still a little shocked when I think about it, but I feel grateful,” Greene said at the time.
At first, he didn’t believe his eyes. His wife questioned if the ticket was real, asking if he could scan it again. He also plans to travel more – and continue playing the lottery.
Hey guys, give the rest of us a fighting chance, OK?
- With files from Tereza Verenca, Glacier Media
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
