A Lotto Winner In Alberta Was Doing Laundry When She Found Out That She Was A Millionaire

A lottery winner in Alberta had her trip to the laundromat turn into a life-changing event after winning $1 million on an instant ticket.

On June 12, Juanita Melenko was doing her laundry at a local laundromat in Vegreville and decided to buy two $100 Ultimate instant tickets from a gas station to add a little excitement to laundry day between loads.

When she scratched her tickets, she was beyond surprised to find that one of her numbers matched the winning number, earning her the ticket's top prize of $1 million. At first, though, Melenko was convinced she had won a lot less.

"I thought I won $100,000, then I looked closer and saw it was $1 million," Melenko recalled.

To be sure she was right, Melenko returned to the store to check her ticket, where the cashier confirmed she had won the $1 million prize.

Melenko bought her ticket from the Vegreville Co-Op Gas Bar at 4906 51 Ave. She's the first winner to bring home the top prize since the Ultimate instant tickets launched in Western Canada last month.

Now that surprise has worn off, all that's left for Melenko to do is decide how to spend her new money — and she already has a couple of ideas.

“I’m going to pay off my farm debt and purchase a new vehicle,” she said.

Melenko's win comes just after two Calgary friends discovered they had also won a cool $1 million in a Lotto Max draw earlier this month.

If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, refer to these helplines across Canada. Support is available.