Sexsmith Local Wins $100,000 EXTRA Surprise!

Sexsmith Local Wins $100,000 EXTRA Surprise!

Neal Bilodeau has a routine when it comes to lottery tickets: buy them, check them, and move on. But one ticket from the August 12 LOTTO 6/49 and EXTRA draw had other plans.

The Sexsmith resident is celebrating a $100,000 EXTRA prize.

A regular LOTTO 6/49 player, Bilodeau says he picks up a Super Pack twice a week. When it came time to check the tickets for the August 12 draw tickets, his process started out normally enough.

“I checked the first ticket, and it went into the garbage can,” he chuckled. “I checked the next one and saw $100,000, so I put it to the side and checked the rest of my tickets.”

Rather than immediately celebrating, Bilodeau wanted to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

“I had to double-check the second ticket to make sure it was still a winner,” he laughed. “[I said to the store clerk] ‘Is this for real? The machine had better not be lying!’”

After verifying the six-figure prize, Bilodeau began thinking about how he'd use the money. His priority is practical: “I'm going to pay off my truck!”

After that, he may revisit a destination that left a lasting impression: “I went to Thailand for a month in the past and might do that again, but for longer this time.”

While he's had some time to process the win, Bilodeau says it's still a little hard to believe.

“It hasn't all sunk in yet, but it's great – it's awesome!”

Bilodeau purchased his winning ticket from Trader Ridge Gas Bar, located at 13202 102 Street in Grande Prairie.

Download the full release and winner's photo below.