This new Lotto Max winner who scored $1 million kept the winning ticket with him even when he was sleeping.
He didn't want to lose the ticket that made him a millionaire!
It was recently announced that Cory Nickason of Saskatoon was the only winner of a Maxmillions prize in the Lotto Max draw on July 8, 2025.
He purchased the $1 million winning ticket from Stop N Go Convenience on Wedge Road in Saskatoon.
The Lotto Max winning numbers for the Maxmillions prize were 3, 6, 10, 23, 45, 47, and 50.
Nickason was filling up his truck with gas and getting ready for a camping trip with his family when he decided to check his Lotto Max ticket.
He was stunned to see "$1,000,000" come up on the lottery machine screen in the convenience store.
"The cashier said, 'I've never seen this happen before.'"
"She handed it to me, and I was in complete shock. I kept counting the zeroes thinking it couldn’t be right," Nickason said.
"The cashier said, 'I think you just became a millionaire,'" he revealed. "The guy behind me gave me a fist bump and I just started running out to the truck to tell my wife."
When he got outside, he went to the passenger side and held up the ticket at the window to show her.
"She couldn't even read it because I was shaking so bad," Nickason said.
"The whole thing just made me feel stunned. We must have sat in the vehicle for 15 minutes to soak it all in."
Nickason still went on the camping trip with his family the day after he found out about the $1 million win.
But he was careful to keep the ticket with him before leaving.
"I put the ticket in my wallet and my wallet in my jeans, and I slept in my jeans that night," he explained. "My wife woke up the next morning and was like, 'Did you sleep in those?'"
Cory Nickason with a $1 million Lotto Max cheque.Sask Lotteries
Nickason already has plans for how he's going to spend the $1 million Lotto Max prize.
"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."
He also shared that the feeling of winning was unlike anything he could have prepared himself for.
"It's a moment I never thought would happen," Nickason said. "I never really imagined I would win."
If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, refer to these helplines across Canada. Support is available.