$50 million LOTTO 6/49 prize won among friends in Calgary!
Alberta’s first LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot win!
The Beatles said it best when they sang: “I get by with a little help from my friends,” and Carmen Austria, Gary Perkins and Catherine Wall couldn’t agree more. The Calgary friends and former co-workers shared a massive $50 million LOTTO 6/49 prize on the December 9 draw.
The group agrees that winning the lottery is amazing, but winning with friends is the real prize.
“We’ve been friends for over 20 years and started buying tickets together 17 years ago,” said Perkins during the group’s prize claim interview. “Buying tickets was just a fun thing for us to do; winning together is what makes it so special.”
Not surprisingly, the long-time friends have similar ideas for each of their $16.6 million shares of the win.
“We’re going to share with our families,” said Austria. “I want my family to know they can relax and enjoy their time – I’m going to take care of them!”
“I haven’t been able to get too far past just sharing with family,” Perkins added. “It’s hard to wrap your head around this much money!”
When asked to describe how this win feels, the group responded: “Freedom, peace and joy.”
“[Winning] came with so many emotions,” explained Wall. “I don’t think anything prepares you for that much emotion. And now, I just feel happy and grateful – it’s amazing.”
Austria purchased the group’s winning ticket for $10 from Scenic Acres Husky, located at 116 Scenic Acres Blvd in Calgary. The winning selection for the December 9 Gold Ball draw was: 25957733-01. The group won an additional $2 on the night’s EXTRA draw.
FIRST IN THE WEST: LOTTO 6/49 GOLD BALL JACKPOT WIN!
Austria, Perkins and Wall will also go down in history as the first LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot winners in Alberta, and in all the Prairies! LOTTO 6/49 relaunched in September 2022, introducing two multi-million jackpots on every draw!
Since the game’s 2022 revamp, Albertans have taken home eight $1 million Gold Ball jackpot prizes and won or shared in six Classic Jackpots of $5 million. In all, Albertans have claimed prizes of $1 million or more totalling $89.1 million since September 2022.
