Hay River has a new millionaire who can’t quite believe her luck. Sarah Barnes double and triple-checked her ticket at a self-checker before realizing she had won the November 17th $1-million Lotto 6/49 draw.
“I think I was in shock the whole time. I really couldn’t believe it. It didn’t – and still doesn’t – feel real,” she says in a news release.
Barnes redeemed the winning ticket at Super A Foods in Hay River, with the winning numbers 39597325-01.
“I had a few tickets to check, so I started by checking it on the self-checker,” she says. “I saw a bunch of zeroes, so I took it to the clerk. Then I checked it on the Mobile App when I got back to work – just to be extra sure.”
Barnes is being prudent with her million. She plans to use the money to pay bills and hit the books with plans to get her accounting certification.
In 2018 the territory had a record year, with the highest number of million-dollar tickets ever sold in a single year.
Barnes is the second to claim $1-million, after a Yellowknife couple who won a July 13th Lotto Max draw. A third million dollar prize has yet to be claimed, from an October 26th draw. The ticket was sold in the territory but not in Yellowknife, the Western Canada Lottery Corporation says.
The winning numbers were 4, 13, 24, 32, 34, 43 and 44. The lottery corporation reminds the winners they have one year from the draw date to claim the prize.
