Esquimalt man wins $500K lottery prize, plans to ‘take my time’

An Esquimalt man is trying to stay cool and collected after winning a whopping half-a-million dollar lottery prize.

Douglas Bowker won the $500,000 prize from a Lotto 6/49 draw on March 16.

Since then, the avid fisher and golfer has been trying to decide what to do with the winnings.

“I had a friend tell me if I win, to clam up until I got all my senses together!” he said in a media release Thursday.

“It fluctuates between disbelief and, ‘Oh, I can buy those cars I wanted,’” he said. “I will just figure it out as I go along and take my time.”

Bowker purchased his winning ticket at the Fraser 25 convenience store in Esquimalt, but didn’t learn he had won until he scanned his ticket a self-scanner at the Metchosin Country Store.

“The sun was glaring on the display. I couldn’t see the amount and asked the retailer to scan the ticket and they could not believe it,” he said. “I was just scattered when I heard the amount.”

While Bowker isn’t entirely sure what he’ll do with his windfall yet, he says he plans to join a golf club again, and may be in the market for a small boat for fishing.

SEE ALSO:

• Ucluelet home to winner of $18M lottery: BCLC
• ‘Still feels unreal’: B.C. man wins $58M lottery prize

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