B.C.’s newest multimillionaire claimed his prize Thursday, describing the fateful moment last month when he purchased the winning ticket for the May 23 draw after a run in Burnaby’s Central Park. “Something really pushed me to buy that ticket without any planning,” he said. That ticket would sit in his bag for another three weeks until a tickle in his throat prompted him to reach for a cough drop earlier this week. “I buy lots of tickets but I rarely check them. To be honest, I’m very forgetful,” he said, adding that he scanned one ticket that didn’t win anything before scanning the second. “I literally dropped my phone. I have never seen that many zeroes in my life.” Chau has since shared the news with his partner, who he says was incredulous when presented with a screenshot from the BC Lottery Corporation app. “It took like an hour to convince them this was my ticket,” Chau said. “We are, like, walking on cloud nine. We are so happy.” Amid the overwhelming emotion, Chau said he is also trying to be rational and practical – saying he will be hiring a financial planner to help him figure out how to manage the windfall responsibly. His plans for the money so far include buying a home for himself and his partner, and one for his parents. “I want to contribute back to the community, because I know this might be a life-changing experience to me, and I want to use a part of it to change other people’s life as well,” Chau said. Checking some destinations he’s been saving up money to travel to off of his “bucket list” is also something Chau says he looks forward to doing. For now, he said he’s just trying to enjoy the ride. “It’s like a roller coaster. I love roller coasters,” Chau said. The odds of winning the LottoMax jackpot are one in 33,294,800 per $5 play, according to BCLC. Chau’s win marks the second time in a month that someone in B.C. has taken home tens of millions of dollars. Surrey resident Justin Simporios claimed an $80-million prize in the May 9 draw, making him the winner of the largest jackpot ever claimed by a single Canadian.
