Victoria couple $5M richer after lottery win: ‘A legacy for our grandkids’

A Victoria couple is $5 million richer after a lottery win, and they plan on travelling and leaving a legacy for their grandchildren with the funds.

Raymond and Stacey Donison were in their Victoria home when they found out they had won the Classic Jackpot from the Nov. 18 Lotto 6/49 draw. Raymond was watching a Vancouver Canucks hockey game at the time and quickly hollered to Stacey.

“I checked my numbers online, and then I called my wife in right away to tell her,” said Raymond, recalling the moment he realized they won.

Stacey, meanwhile, was reading in another room at the time and didn’t believe her husband at first because “he’s such a jokester!” she says in a BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) news release Tuesday.

So to be sure, the couple validated their ticket at the BCLC Lotto kiosk at Hillside Shopping Centre in B.C.’s capital. They had purchased the winning ticket at the Esso gas station on Fort and Morrison streets, says the lottery corporation.

The couple claimed the jackpot on Nov. 24 at the BCLC’s Vancouver office.

On Nov. 19, CHEK News reported a winning $5 million Lotto 6/49 ticket from the Nov. 18 draw was purchased in Victoria. The winner numbers were six, 22, 26, 30, 35, and 36, and the bonus was 25, but the specific purchase location wasn’t revealed because the prize had not yet been claimed.

Now, the Donisons are planning a casual family dinner to celebrate. “Beers, pizza and champagne!” exclaimed Raymond in the release.

The couple is also planning a trip to Hawaii, in addition to a “big family vacation,” as they emphasize how much this win means for their loved ones.

“We can leave a legacy for our grandkids,” said Stacey.

“My bucket list was to make sure that everyone in the family was happy and financially taken care of,” added Raymond.

So far in 2023, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $115 million in winnings from Lotto 6/49, including on Nov. 6 when two sisters claimed their big $5-million win off a 6/49 ticket purchased in Sidney.

READ ALSO: ‘Overwhelming’: Sisters $5M richer after lucky lotto ticket purchased in Sidney

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