A Lotto 6/49 Winner In Alberta Thought She Won Way Less Until A Fellow Shopper Corrected Her

A Lotto 6/49 winner in Alberta got a pretty incredible surprise when she went to check her tickets and realized she won. However, she thought she'd be taking home a much smaller prize until another customer corrected her.

Cornelia Cayanan, from Beaumont, bought her winning ticket from Real Canadian Superstore at 4821 Calgary Tr. S. in Edmonton ahead of the April 22 draw.

When she went to check her ticket, she realized she'd won but at first, she thought she had won a lot less.

"I thought I won $5,000 and I was so excited about winning that much," Cayanan said.

"Then another patron said it was $500,000, then $5,000,000 – I couldn't believe it!"

Rather than the $5,000 she'd expected, Cayanan was actually in for a windfall of a cool $5 million and she couldn't wait to tell her siblings who were waiting for her in the parking lot.

"I kept trying to get their attention, but they couldn't see me. I made my way to them and said: 'We have no more problems.'" she added.

The huge win comes at a great time for Cayanan, who said she has lots of big events coming up.

"My daughter is getting married this year and I have a milestone birthday this year, so we have a couple of big parties coming up," she said.

As well as funding some parties, Cayanan is planning to share the win with her family and is planning a tropical vacation with her winnings.

"I asked my grandkids where they would like to go. They said Hawaii, so we’re going to Hawaii," she added.

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