A Burnaby couple is ready to be mortgage-free after winning big in the lottery.
But they won’t need to get new eye glasses after a misreading of the ticket.
Balbinder Purewal managed to miss some zeroes after his wife Inderjit asked him to check their Lotto Max ticket in the June 15, 2021 draw.
“We were at home and my wife told me to check the ticket,” Balbinder recalled. “I went to the store … and thought we only won $500. A while later, my wife checked it and realized that we won $500,000.”
The Burnaby retirees purchased their ticket at the Cascades Husky gas station on Canada Way and checked it later on at Real Canadian Superstore, which has a lottery scanner.
“So far, we’ve only told our son,” Balbinder said. “He said we deserve it.”
While they’ve kept their news low key, they’ve started planning a family celebration once everyone feels safe enough to enjoy a larger gathering. In addition, they plan on paying off their mortgage and saving for a future trip.
On how they’re feeling now about their ‘Extra’-big win?
“Happy! We feel good,” Balbinder said.
In 2021, B.C. lottery players redeemed more than $42 million in winnings from the Extra and more than $262 million from Lotto Max.
