Cochrane resident Paul Phillips turned a quiet night into an unforgettable one that included a $400,000 windfall courtesy of a Crossword Scratch and Win ticket. Phillips recently found himself methodically checking his ticket when it dawned upon him that he had a special one. “I was sitting in the kitchen before dinner scratching my tickets,” he explained. “I spent over 20 minutes checking over each letter, trying to figure out how many words I have.” The news got better and better for the ticket he bought at Dodd’s Corner Petro-Canada at 61101-239 Griffin Rd. E. in Cochrane. “I got to the 12th word, and that would have been $10,000,” he said. “But then right next to that 12th word was another three-letter word – I couldn’t believe it! “I was completely shocked,” he added. “In disbelief. I never expect to win!” Phillips decided to double-check the ticket at the store. “I had to bring it in to confirm I won,” he said. “I took a picture of the ticket checker screen to show my wife that it’s real.” Phillips said he and his wife plan to pay off some debt and their mortgage with their winnings. “It will be very helpful towards retirement,” he said. The couple also plan to support a number of organizations with donations. “There are some organizations that are near and dear to our hearts that we have always supported, so we plan to donate to those as well,” he said. Lotto Max record pot Friday night, Lotto Max is featuring a draw for $90 million, the largest jackpot ever offered by a Canadian lottery. The draw includes 17 Maxmillions prizes of $1 million along with 90 prizes of $100,000. Lotto Spot street teams are out in Calgary, Regina and Winnipeg, passing out Lotto Max swag armed with an oversized cheque representing the oversized $90-million payout. Tickets are available to players 18 and older until 8:30 p.m. MT at Lotto Spot retailers, on the Lotto Spot app or through PlayNow and Play Alberta.
