After more than four decades of playing the lottery, Quesnel resident Richard Z. is celebrating an incredible $46 million Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Jackpot win.

Richard was at home on a Saturday night when he heard that the winning Gold Ball ticket had been purchased in Quesnel. He checked the numbers on his phone and began to wonder if the winning ticket might be his.

“It was overwhelming finding out, out of everyone in Canada, I had the ticket that won $46 million,” said Richard.

The first person he shared the news with was his wife.

“At first, there were tears of joy,” he said. His wife wasn’t familiar with how the Gold Ball draw worked, and the news brought a mix of joy and apprehension.

Richard has lived in B.C. his whole life and has been playing the lottery since 1983. When choosing his numbers, he likes to look back at previous draws and often picks numbers that haven’t appeared in 15 to 20 draws. He also enjoys playing Combo Play.

Despite the size of the win, Richard and his wife aren’t rushing to make major changes.

“We plan to move forward slowly, focusing on our immediate family to start,” he said.

For Richard, winning means having the freedom to enjoy some new experiences while holding on to the life he already has.

“We still want to live the life we live now,” he said.

Travel is one thing that is definitely on the horizon. Richard would particularly like to see the pyramids, while the couple are looking forward to being able to travel without the same financial worries.

“My wife and I are going to do some travelling, and I want to see the pyramids,” he said. “We want to experience and enjoy stress-free trips. We still want to keep our lives simple!”

The jackpot hasn’t changed Richard’s interest in the lottery either. He plans to continue playing Lotto 6/49, BC/49, Lotto Max and Combo Play, along with TOTO during NFL season.

For now, Richard and his wife are taking things one step at a time, putting family first and looking forward to the new possibilities their win brings.

Congratulations on your $46 million Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Jackpot win, Richard!