Saturday June 17, 2023 | VIEW ROYAL, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
In View Royal there is one couple that suddenly has more cash in their pockets.
Just in time for their upcoming wedding anniversary, Lahsen Rezrazi and Debbie Ramsay discovered that they had won a whopping $35-million from the June 6, 2023 Lotto Max draw. The winning ticket matched all seven number.
They will have to split the $70-million jackpot as there was also a winning ticket purchased in Ontario, but there seemed no dismay over that.
“On the way to pick up Debbie from work, I stopped by a Save-On-Foods to get milk and cream,” recalled Rezrazi. “Then I thought I would check my lottery tickets. I won $10, a free play, and the last ticket I scanned said $35 million!”
Rezrazi immediately called his wife who apparently at first didn’t believe him. “I thought something bad had happened!” recalled Ramsay. “It took everything in me not to scream, and I even went back to the store [the Quality Foods store in View Royal where the winning ticket was purchased] to scan the ticket! I also downloaded [BCLC’s Lotto App!] to check as well!”
BCLC awarded the life-changing prize on June 16 during a celebration in BCLC’s Vancouver office.
Spending the money:
With the winnings, Rezrazi and Ramsay say they plan to purchase a house by the ocean and a Mercedes camper van to take on a road trip across Canada, with several stops along the way to see family.
“We’re going to go surprise relatives at the door to give them money,” said Ramsay. “Helping family is the biggest thing for us, and we can’t wait to see their faces!”
There are a lot of emotions swirling for Rezrazi and Ramsay, as they have a lot to celebrate, including their upcoming wedding anniversary. However, they do agree on one thing that Rezrazi mentioned: “It’s a lot of money!”
Lotto Max over $130 million this year:
So far in 2023, B.C. lottery players redeemed more than $130 million from Lotto Max. Lotto Max is a nationwide lottery game drawn on Tuesdays and Fridays after 7:30 p.m. (PST).
Players can purchase tickets at lottery retailers or at PlayNow.com. Winning numbers and group release forms can be found online at www.bclc.com. Players can check lottery ticket information anytime, anywhere on iOS and Android devices. Learn more about the BCLC Lotto! App here.
For fun not money:
BCLC offers socially responsible gambling entertainment while generating income to benefit all British Columbians while reminding people to “play for fun, not to make money”. Indeed, the algorithms are designed in favour of the crown corporation as a tax revenue generator. For more information, visit GameSense.com.