Winnipeg man purchases lottery ticket online, wins $1M

Edilberto Malabanan recently won $1M on a Western Max ticket. (submitted photo)

A Winnipeg man said it was “quite a shock” when he learned a lottery ticket he purchased online ended up earning him a $1 million prize.

Edilberto Malabanan won the prize on the Western Max draw on Aug. 11 with the numbers 12, 14, 17,20, 29, 37 and 39. He used a free play ticket he won on a previous draw to buy the ticket online on PlayNow, the province’s online lottery system. PlayNow sends a courtesy email to winners to let them know they have won a prize.

“I got an email the morning after the draw telling me I won a prize,” Malabanan said in a statement. “I assumed it was a much smaller prize, but it was not!”

Malabanan said he texted his daughter about his lottery win, saying she was excited.

“It was quite a shock,” he said.

Malabanan said he plans to share the winnings with his family.