‘I want to buy Minecraft,’ says B.C. boy after learning his father won the lottery

Lydia Winters shows off Microsoft's "Minecraft" built specifically for HoloLens at the Xbox E3 2015 briefing before Electronic Entertainment Expo, June 15, 2015, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo / Damian Dovarganes, File)

After Jung-Chien Cheng checked his ticket from the Sept. 5 Lotto Max draw and saw he had won a $1 million Maxmillions prize, the first person he told was his son.

“I want to buy Minecraft,” the boy said, as quoted by his father in an interview with the B.C. Lottery Corporation.

Acquiring the beloved video game franchise is not on Cheng’s agenda after his win, according to BCLC. Even if it was, it would take a lot more than $1 million.

Microsoft acquired Mojang, the Swedish game developer that owned Minecraft, for US$2.5 billion in 2014. More recently, A Minecraft Movie, the first feature film based on the franchise, netted nearly US$1 billion at the box office worldwide.

Suffice it to say, buying the intellectual property is orders of magnitude outside Cheng’s budget, even after his lottery win.

The father told BCLC he’s taking some time to decide what to do next, but plans to pay off his mortgage.

“I feel excited,” he told BCLC. ”I can breathe easier.”

Cheng purchased his winning ticket at Parker Place Convenience Centre inside Parker Place mall on Number 3 Road in Richmond.

The odds of winning a $1 million Maxmillions prize are the same as the odds of winning the main Lotto Max jackpot, about one in 33.3 million.

The jackpot in the Sept. 5 draw was won by a ticket sold in Quebec. At $50 million, it’s a considerably larger windfall than Cheng’s, though still not Minecraft money.

READ ALSO:

• B.C. man to celebrate $500K lottery win with Tim Hortons Iced Capp
• B.C. lotto winner celebrates $500K jackpot with ‘little happy dance’
• Man nabs $1-million Lotto prize while filling up car in Surrey, B.C.