Saskatchewan’s first jackpot winner of the year was revealed in Regina on Thursday. Cora Cuthbert of Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation bought her winning ticket in Arcola. According to Sask Lotteries, the newfound millionaire was at work when she discovered the news after scanning her ticket. She called her coworkers over one by one to confirm what she saw was in fact, real. “I was like, ‘Whaaaat?!” Cuthbert said in a news release. “My cousin jumped out of her chair and said, ‘Oh my God, you’re a millionaire!” Soon after, the newly minted multi-millionaire headed to Arcola with her coworkers to scan the ticket in store, which confirmed the win. “I’m just looking at that screen, and I thought this better not be a glitch on my phone. And the pharmacy worker scans it and all three of us just start screaming, we’re so excited and everything,” she said. Cuthbert admitted it took a few days for the news to sink in. The win is especially potent due to the passing of her father in 2025. According to the now jackpot winner, her parents were the main reason why she began buying lottery tickets. She received several texts from friends and family after they learned of her win, saying it was her father making sure she was being looked after. “Just very joyful for her because she’s helped our parents so long, for so much. And then with us losing our dad, it took a really hard, hard hit on her,” said Cora’s sister Charlene Cuthbert. In the short-term, Cuthbert said she is planning trips to Edmonton and Hawaii and a spa day for her beloved dog. Longer-term, the home-care aide hopes to help out her community. Cuthbert also plans to use her winnings to ensure people have better access to support and medical care on her reserve, something that comes as no surprise to her only son Tom. “Giving to homeless people. You like to think about with that family first and then people, because you can’t replace people. People matter more than money.” Cora said she and Tom are looking into a trip to Scotland because that is part of her father’s ancestral background. The winnings have also allowed her to officially retire on Wednesday from her job as a homecare aide on her reserve. Cuthbert was the winner of the Jan.7 Gold Ball draw, according to Sask Lotteries.
