SASKATOON - Caroline Stokvis and Keith Blenkinsop said they like to wait until they have a few lottery tickets to scan before heading down to the store to check them.
On their most recent trip to check their tickets, Keith was shocked to discover they were winners of half a MaxMillions prize on the Oct. 21 Lotto Max draw.
“I saw a five, but I didn't have my glasses,” he recalled with a laugh while claiming their prize.
Caroline then stepped in and scanned the ticket.
“There's a lot of zeroes! I think it's broken!” she remembered thinking.
The pair then scanned their ticket on another machine to be sure – only to get the same result; they were a half a million dollars richer.
“Both machines can't be broken,” Caroline reasoned. They took their ticket to the cashier, who confirmed they had won $500,000.
The couple said they had planned a nice steak dinner that evening, but their win changed their plans.
“We decided to order food; I couldn't even think about cooking!” Caroline said with a laugh.
The pair purchased their ticket from Esso Acadia at 3402 8th St. E in Saskatoon a couple of days before the draw. They won by matching the winning Maxmillions numbers 2, 12, 16, 19, 23, 36, and 50, sharing the $1 million prize with another ticket sold in Ontario.
The pair said they plan to spend a portion of their windfall on travel and investments.
“I’ve never won anything like this before,” remarked Caroline. “You just walk around and then it just hits you that you won, and you just smile!"
“I had to slow down my emotions,” responded Keith. “I was in disbelief!”
Check your tickets…
There’s still an outstanding $1 million MaxMillions prize from the Oct. 21 Lotto Max draw. The ticket was purchased in Saskatchewan, but outside the cities of Regina and Saskatoon. The winning numbers are 8, 9, 29, 32, 35, 37 and 43.
Sask Lotteries is the main fundraiser for more than 12,000 sport, culture and recreation groups in communities across Saskatchewan. Learn about games, jackpots, winning numbers and more at sasklotteries.ca.
