Oleksii Shypylenko won $1 million thanks to a winning ticket that he purchased for a Lotto 6/49 draw, the Western Canada Lottery Corporation announced on December 6, 2023.
Just over a year ago, Shypylenko came to Canada from Eastern Europe and settled in Manitoba looking to have a safe and happy future in this country.
Now that he's a Lotto 6/49 winner, he said scoring $1 million from the lottery has more than secured the life in Canada that he hoped for here.
"I am very happy to be in Canada," the newcomer to Canada said while claiming his $1 million prize. "I'm excited to build a future here, now more than ever."
He went to Sam's Food Fare in downtown Winnipeg to buy a Lotto 6/49 ticket for the Gold Ball Jackpot draw on August 16, 2023.
But it wasn't until November that Shypylenko went back to that store to check his tickets.
That's when he found out the white ball chosen in the draw matched the number on his ticket.
The Lotto 6/49 winning number that scored Shypylenko the million-dollar prize was 29325338-01.
Lotto 6/49 winner Oleksii Shypylenko.Courtesy of Western Canada Lottery Corporation
"I guess you could say I collect tickets," Shypylenko shared. "I don't check them often but I checked this one a few times because I couldn't believe what I saw."
"I still can't believe it," he continued.
Currently, Shypylenko doesn't have plans for exactly how he'll use the $1 million Lotto 6/49 prize but he said that his future is now brighter than ever.
"A million dollars will make a lot of things better and less stressful for me," he said. "I'm very grateful."
Just like Shypylenko, there have been a few lottery winners in Canada who have also scored $1 million with Lotto 6/49 recently.
Another $1 million Lotto 6/49 winner was announced in October and Frederick Pelletier — who is from Courtenay, B.C. — revealed that his wife didn't believe he actually won and called him a liar.
Someone from Ontario won a Lotto 6/49 draw with a ticket bought during a trip to B.C. and this winner, Jianping Fu, only found out he won $1 million by accident!
Lotto 6/49 winner Frederick Pelletier.BCLC