Winners

“I Feel Euphoric!”: Salmon Arm Resident Wins Stunning $675K Set for Life Prize

March 13, 2023

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Murray Wallace, who considers himself to be a prankster, undoubtedly believed he was the one being pranked upon discovering he won $675,000 playing Set for Life.

“My first thought was, ‘Is this a joke?’” Wallace recalled. “I said, ‘where are the cameras?’ I thought someone had to be pranking me because I am a big prankster myself and prank all of my friends and family.”

Wallace, a long-haul trucker, was travelling through Kamloops when he opted to purchase a Set for Life ticket from the BVD Truck Stop on Kokanee Way. He was at Sutherland’s bakery in Enderby when he decided to validate his ticket. 

“I scanned it on the self-checker and then it began flashing ‘winner’ so I started freaking out. At that point, people started gathering around and I wasn’t sure how much I’d won yet.”

Once he realized the prize amount, the first person he told was his spouse.

“She thought it was another one of my pranks and even hung the phone up on me twice. Then, she came inside the store and once she saw my face she believed me and we just hugged. It was amazing,” Wallace said.

The Salmon Arm resident plans to have a big pig roast with family and friends to celebrate and looks forward to returning to his birthplace of Scotland to see family, thanks to his prize.

On how it feels to win? 

“Absolutely surreal, emotional and euphoric,” he said. 

In 2022, B.C. lottery players redeemed more than $11 million in Set for Life prizes. 

Players can purchase tickets at lottery retailers or at PlayNow.com. Players can now check their lottery tickets anytime, anywhere using the BCLC Lotto! App.

BCLC offers socially responsible gambling entertainment while generating income to benefit all British Columbians. Remember, play for fun, not to make money. For more information, visit GameSense.com.