Lotto Winner In Alberta Had A Winning Ticket For 6 Months Before He Claimed It

A Lotto winner in Edmonton held onto his winning ticket for six months while he decided what he wanted to do with his winnings.

Semy Raja bought his Western Max ticket way back in June 2022 from the North Central Co-Op at 2331 66 St. N.W. in Edmonton ahead of the June 21 draw.

The day after the draw, Raja went to a store to check the ticket on a self-checker and it was then that he discovered he'd won a cool $1 million.

“I didn’t know I was holding onto a winning ticket until I went into the store,” he said

Raja couldn't believe it when he realized he was going to be a millionaire and he checked his ticket several more times just to make sure it was true.

‘"I was so shocked. I had to check it five or six times," he added. “It feels unreal when you see all those zeroes.”

While he discovered his win in June, Raja said he wanted to speak to a financial advisor to come up with a plan of what to do with the money before he claimed his prize money in January 2023.

Having taken some time to think about what he wants to do with his winnings, Raja finally has some ideas.

“I’m going to take a holiday and the rest I’ll invest for the future,” he said.

Another Lotto 6/49 winner in Edmonton found out he won $100,000 in December and he said it was the "happiest day of his life."