It was a sleepless night for all the right reasons.
Juanita Parnell of Prince Rupert is $5.8 million dollars richer after she had matched all six numbers during the October 6th Lotto 6/49 draw.
“I’m pretty sure it was 3:30 in the morning and I was still awake. My daughter had called me earlier and said that someone in Prince Rupert had won the jackpot,” said Parnell, who split the $11-million Lotto 6/49 jackpot with a ticket purchased in Ontario.
“She had found out on Facebook, apparently everyone in Prince Rupert had found out.”
In addition, Parnell won with the same set of numbers (7, 18, 19, 38, 42, and 46) she has been playing for the past 20 years.
“I remember taking them once from a Quick Pick [20 years ago],” she added. “There’s no rhyme or reason why I’ve stuck with them. I think I’ve missed playing them only three times.”
She’ll be taking some time to think about what to do with her winnings, but would like to take her grandchildren on vacation.
“I’d like to take them to Disney World in Florida, preferably during the non-storm season,” said Parnell, laughing. “We’ve never been able to go on a vacation together all at once.”
So far this year, B.C. lottery players redeemed more than $70 million in winnings from Lotto 6/49.
Here is a link to some video of the winner