Ronald Rossi has been buying lottery tickets for a long time and he always told himself that he’d retire if he won.
Well, the Kimberley-native finally gets to retire, because he won $1 million after matching all 10 numbers in the Lotto 6/49 guaranteed prize draw on Nov. 7, 2018.
He found out he won while checking his tickets at Tamarack Centre Mall in Cranbrook.
“On the second last ticket I was checking I saw a bunch of zeros, but I didn’t see the 1 in front of them,” said Rossi. “I took it to the clerk and the sign said $1,000,004. I was in utter disbelief.”
His wife was also in disbelief when he got back to the car and phoned her with the news, but said she could tell by the sound of his voice that he was telling the truth.
The pair celebrated the big win with a bottle of champagne on the shores of Kootenay Lake, where Rossi plans on doing a lot more fishing.
He also plans on making his dream car a reality.
“I’ve always wanted a 57 Chevy. Now I can retire and drive around in style. It’s so nice to have the security. It’s a happy feeling,” he explained.
Rossi is one of 11 British Columbians to win a guaranteed prize draw so far in 2018.
