SASKATOON — Cory Nickason was gassing up his truck and preparing for a camping trip with his family, when he decided to check his LOTTO MAX ticket.
The Saskatoon local was stunned to see a million-dollar prize come up on screen.
“The cashier said, ‘I’ve never seen this happen before!’” Nickason laughed. “She handed it to me, and I was in complete shock—I kept counting the zeroes thinking it couldn’t be right.”
Six zeros later, both Nickason and the cashier were both certain.
“The cashier said, ‘I think you just became a millionaire,’” Nickason said. “The guy behind me gave me a fist bump and I just started running out to the truck to tell my wife!”
Nickason got to the passenger window and held up the ticket to show her.
“She couldn’t even read it because I was shaking so bad!” he laughed. “The whole thing just made me feel stunned—we must have sat in the vehicle for 15 minutes to soak it all in.
Nickason said their camping plans still went ahead the next day, but he was ultra-cautious with the ticket before leaving.
“I put the ticket in my wallet and my wallet in my jeans, and I slept in my jeans that night,” he chuckled. “My wife woke up the next morning and was like, ‘Did you sleep in those?!’”
Now that Nickason can sleep a little easier, he is planning to spend his winnings well.
“I’m going to pay off our mortgage, buy a truck, and maybe look into buying a cabin,” he said. “Now it’s not just a dream!”
Nickason said the feeling of winning is unlike anything he could have prepared for.
“It’s a moment I never thought would happen,” he said. “I never really imagined I would win!”
Nickason purchased his winning LOTTO MAX ticket from Stop N Go Convenience at #3-110 Wedge Rd. in Saskatoon. He won the only MAXMILLIONS prize selected in the July 8 draw by correctly matching the selection: 3, 6, 10, 23, 45, 47, and 50.
