(Photo provided by Western Canada Lottery Corporation)
Brett Durand of Olds is officially retiring after winning $1 million in the Western Max Sept. 17 draw.
Durand won a Free Play on a Western Max ticket months ago, and when he recently cashed in his ticket, he won big.
“I scanned it and thought, ‘There’s no decimal!’” he said. “I kept looking for the decimal place and gradually realized it was actually a million.”
He took the ticket home right away to show his wife, who thought he was joking.
“She had the biggest smile when she realized we can both semi-retire and give our bodies a break,” he said.
Adding, “Her birthday is next week, and I’m going to surprise her with a little something.”
For Durand, the win came at the best time.
“It’s very relieving,” he said. “It’s a lot of money. Life-changing in a way that allows us to walk into the next chapter.”
Durand and his wife share a property with several animals.
“We have a lot of animals,” he said. “We likely won’t be travelling much, but maybe we can get a babysitter for them now.”
The winning Western Max ticket was purchased at Circle K in Olds.
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