‘It feels unreal’: B.C. couple plan to go house hunting after winning $2.5M lottery prize

A Lillooet, B.C., couple is still reeling after discovering they won a $2.5 million Lotto 6/49 prize last month (BCLC).

A Lillooet, B.C., couple is still reeling after discovering they won a $2.5 million Lotto 6/49 prize last month.

Rene L. and Brittany C. split the $5 million classic jackpot with another ticket purchased in Quebec, after matching six out of six numbers from the Jan. 31 draw.

“My first thought was, ‘No!’ and then I jumped up and showed Brittany,” Rene told the B.C. Lottery Corporation. “Brittany thought I was playing a trick on her and wanted to go to the store to check if it was real.”

The pair returned to the Pharmasave on Main Street in Lillooet where they purchased the ticket, and confirmed it was, in fact, a winner.

“It feels unreal,” Brittany said. “We can enjoy life and spend more time with our kids.”

Rene and Brittany said they shared the news with a few loved ones and celebrated their big win over dinner together.

Now, the couple is making plans for their future, which includes paying off their current mortgage and going house hunting for their next dream home.

According to the BCLC, lottery winners redeemed more than $71 million in winnings from Lotto 6/49 in the province last year.

The odds of winning the main Lotto 6/49 jackpot — which requires matching all six numbers drawn without using the bonus number — are approximately one in 14 million, officials said.