Prize lot bigger than winner thought
Clifford Britch got a lot more than he was bargaining for on his last trip to the grocery store.
The 70-year-old Kelowna man was at Save-On-Foods in West Kelowna with his wife when he decided to check his two lottery tickets at the ticket booth.
“I scanned both of them, and the first one was a dud. Then the second one came up and I thought it said I won ‘1,600,’” said Britch.
He then took another look and thought it said he’d won $16,000.
“I yelled over to my wife, who was paying for groceries at the cashier, and said, ‘I just won $16,000!’” However, the news kept getting better. “I asked the kiosk operator if I won $16,000, and she said, ‘That’s not $16,000. That’s $16 million,’” said Britch.
He had won the Nov. 22 Lotto 6/49 draw of $16.7 million.
The cashiers and customers in the store started cheering and congratulating him and taking pictures, he said.
“Everybody was ecstatic and cheering and happy. It was quite a pleasant experience.” Buying $10 lottery tickets at the lottery ticket counter at Orchard Park mall has been a routine for Britch, but he never won more than $20, he said.
“Normally it’s not a winner, just a dollar here or there.”
As for what he’s going to do with the money, Britch said he doesn’t have any grand plans yet.
“I’m just going to let it soak in and manage the winnings responsibly,” he said.
“We’ve never had any dream wishes. You just don’t think ‘I’m going to win the lottery sometime.’”
To celebrate, Britch and his wife planned to go out for dinner with their children Wednesday night.
“I’m sure there will be lots of discussions around the dinner table,” he said.