Lotto Max Winner From BC Thought He'd Won $500 & Then His Wife Saw What The Actual Prize Was

A Lotto Max winner from B.C. thought he'd won $500 until his wife saw the actual winnings were much higher.

The lottery winner, Balbinder Purewal, had missed a few zeros on the end of his prize amount when he looked at the winning ticket.

Thankfully his wife, Inderjit Purewal, noticed that they were actually $500,000 richer from winning the Lotto Max draw on June 15, 2021.

The winning ticket was purchased by the retired couple from the Cascades Husky gas station in Burnaby, B.C.

“We were at home and my wife told me to check the ticket,” Balbinder recalled.

“I went to the store…and thought we only won $500. A while later my wife checked it and realized that we won $500,000," he added.

If they were excited by the first win, imagine the surprise when Inderjit went back to check it again!

“So far, we’ve only told our son," he said.

The couple plans to keep the news on the down-low but they do want to have a big family celebration when it is safe to do so. They also are going to use some of the winnings to pay off their mortgage.

The retired couple is also planning to take a well-deserved vacation with their money.

Another B.C. lottery winner was so shocked when she found out that she had won, that she actually left the hair salon in the middle of a haircut.

It's a lucky time for some people in the province because a man who played the Lotto 6/49 took home $1 million — and is going to get a new ride with the money.

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