Alberta couple claims $60M lotto jackpot in province's biggest win

Extended: Lotto Max $60M Jackpot winners Brett McCoy and Robin Walker have won the biggest-ever lottery prize in Alberta.

An Alberta couple who just claimed the biggest lottery jackpot in the province’s history say they’re going to let the win sink in a little bit before they decide what to do with the $60 million. They did, however, make one purchase already – a brand new truck.

“We did get a new truck so, you know, we could get here,” Robin Walker told a packed room filled with reporters during a press conference in St. Albert, Alta. on Wednesday.

Walker and Brett McCoy purchased the $11 “quick pick” Lotto Max winning ticket on Sept. 22 from McLeod Trading Post in the hamlet of Peers. The following day, the couple from Yellowhead County returned to the same store to pick up some chicken feed for their hobby farm and treats for Walker’s four children.

When Walker checked her lottery ticket she couldn’t believe all of the numbers that popped up across the screen.

“I thought, ‘That can’t be right.’ So, I scanned the ticket again then I ran outside and told Brett we won $60,000. The store clerk came after me and said, ‘Robin, count the zeroes.’”

The prize-winning numbers were 2, 10, 37, 38, 43 and 47.

As they claimed their $60-million cheque, Walker said they’re still in shock.

“Probably in a week we’ll wake up and be like, ‘It really happened,’” she said.

Although Walker’s children, who are between the ages of 4 and 16, have many “ridiculous” plans for the money, she says they’re going to pay it forward.

“I think our discussion has been solid the whole time that we had everything, now we just have money as well,” she said. “I think there’s a responsibility that comes with a number like that. A lot of people can benefit from it.”

McCoy did add, however, that they’re going to use some of the winnings to expand their farm.

“She can buy all the chickens she’s wanted now,” he said with a laugh.

Walker said she and McCoy are “common, everyday blue-collar Albertans” who are “lifelong” lotto players. When asked if they planned to continue buying lottery tickets after their big win, Walker quickly responded yes.

“I’ll be more excited buying them now,” she said.

The tiny hamlet of Peers, about 180 kilometres west of Edmonton, may only have a population of 120 according to its website, but it appears to be a charmed place for lottery players. In 2005, a couple from Peers won a $8.2-million prize and two years later, another resident claimed a $11-million jackpot.