Rocky View County man wins $500K in Western Max lottery

Junior Manimbo of Rocky View County won half of the $1M prize in the April 8 Western Max draw. (WCLC)

A Rocky View County man checked his winning lottery ticket eight times over two days before accepting the fact that he had won $500,000.

Junnir Manimbo shared the $1 million grand prize in the April 8 Western Max draw.

He bought his ticket at the Shell location on CrossIron Lane in Balzac on April 7 and returned to the store after the draw to check his numbers.

The self-checker confirmed he had won $500,000, but he rechecked his ticket another five times.

Manimbo said, after a nearly sleepless night, he returned to the store yet again and checked the ticket twice more before coming to terms with his windfall.

He shared the prize with the owner of a ticket purchased in Saskatchewan and says he plans to save some of his winnings for the future and to support his automotive business.