The BC Lotto Corporation paid out $150,000 to two separate Island men who made it big off their lucky scratch tickets.
When Alan Parfett saw a win for $100,000 on his phone on Jan. 26, he couldn’t believe it.
“I thought, that can’t be right,” Parfett said. “I had to check it again and again!”
He hadn’t even finished scratching the card yet and decided to just scan it with his phone anyway, he recalled.
Parfett says he’s going to use his winnings to “take a very special lady for dinner.”
The winning ticket was purchased at the Save-On-Foods on Pandora Avenue in Victoria.
(Phreddy Niven at BCLC to collect his winnings. Photo: BCLC)
Only three days earlier, another Island man struck gold when he too won an instant scratch prize.
Duncan resident Phreddy Niven shared the exact same disbelief.
“The first thing that crossed my mind was that I didn’t do it right,” Niven said.
He recalls having to re-check the ticket.
The Duncan resident purchased his ticket from the Save-On-Foods on Trans Canada Highway in Duncan and says he is still in disbelief at his win.
He looks forward to his upcoming Hawaiian vacation, thanks to his prize, but adds that he’ll still daydream of the private island he’d buy if he ever wins the jackpot.
The Island has a history of having some interesting lotto wins. The record for the largest online lottery prize in B.C. is $21 million, won in August 2016 by a Nanaimo resident.
Roger Collins
