A retired lobster fisherman from Nova Scotia has netted big win playing the Canada Lotto 649.
Bell Island resident Leon Hirtle, 77, pulled in the CAD$ 13.8 million prize when he successfully matched all six of the winning numbers drawn on Wednesday, October 1, 2014. Atlantic Lottery officials presented him with his check on Thursday at the Bridgewater Curling Club.
Recalling the moment he discovered he won the entire jackpot prize, Hirtle said: "I walked across the room and told my brothers, 'Well, I won.'"
His brothers thought he was playing a prank though.
"They didn’t believe me," Hirtle explained, "so I said, 'Here's the numbers'. They checked and said, 'You're rich!'"
Hirtle validated his ticket at the Bridgewater Pharmasave the day after the draw and the size of his win caused a lot of excitement among the other customers.
"There was lots of hooting and hollering and goings-on in the store," Hirtle recalled.
It's normal for winners to pick up their checks from the Atlantic Lottery's head office in Moncton, but lottery spokeswoman Karen Aucoin said they were "thrilled" to take the celebration to the local community.
Hirtle never married, but he has three brother, one sister, and two nieces and plans to use his winning to take care of them and other family members. As for his own needs, he joked he may buy a McDonald's Happy Meal and take a few limousine rides.
