It will be a first-class retirement for Lea Olsen, who was one week away from her last day on the job when she realized she matched all six numbers from the June 19, 2021 BC/49 draw to win the game’s top prize: $2 million.
The Port Coquitlam resident purchased the ticket from Crunchy Bites Market on Prairie Avenue and was at home when she decided to check her numbers on her Lotto! app.
“I don’t even remember my first thought, I was so excited and just started screaming!” she recalled. “My husband thought there was something wrong.”
Olsen couldn’t contain her excitement and phoned her daughter right away to share the news. “She didn’t believe me so I texted her a photo… she came over right away.”
Olsen says she enjoys playing the lottery with her own numbers, which are a combination of family birthdates.
In addition to gifting some of her win to her family, Olsen plans to embark on her retirement dream of worldwide travel, with Europe being first on her bucket list. “Now I can be a little more extravagant and travel first class,” she said.
On how it feels to win, Olsen said “It feels very surreal, I can’t believe this is happening!”
With a top prize of $2 million, BC/49 is just another reason to love living in B.C.! So far in 2021, British Columbians have received more than $11 million in BC/49 prizes. Anyone can win and #YouCouldBeNext. Watch some amazing lottery winner stories at www.playnow.com/lottery/winners/you-could-be-next.
Players can purchase BC/49 at lottery retail locations and online at PlayNow.com, with tickets available for the Wednesday and Saturday draws. Winning numbers and group release forms are available online at www.bclc.com. Players can now check their lottery tickets anytime, on iOS and Android devices.
