B.C. lottery winner plans to use $1M prize to buy home

A Kamloops man who recently won a $1-million lottery prize says he plans to use his winnings to achieve his home-ownership dream.

Landon Tilitzky won the guaranteed prize in the Aug. 12 Lotto 6/49 draw, according to a news release from the B.C. Lottery Corporation.

He purchased his ticket from the Petro Canada on Sydney Avenue and checked it on BCLC's Lotto! App the morning after the draw.

He told the corporation his big win is still sinking in.

"It's unreal," Tilitzky said in the BCLC release.

"I still haven’t fully wrapped my head around it. I’ve always dreamed of buying a house and now that’s a reality."

The first person to find out about Tilitzky's win was his father, who reacted skeptically.

“I sent him a screenshot of the ticket and told him to call me," Tilitzky said. "When he called me back, he kept asking if it was real and for more proof because he couldn’t believe it."

His mother was also in disbelief, according to BCLC.

“I texted her some housing questions and then she quickly began wondering why I was asking her those questions, so I had to tell her then," Tilitzky said. "She was so happy for me.”

In addition to buying a house, the winner plans to treat his parents to a nice dinner and attend more Seattle Seahawks and Vancouver Canucks games.

BCLC says lottery players in the province have won more than $77 million from Lotto 6/49 draws so far this year.

The odds of winning the Gold Ball Draw – which comes with either the guaranteed $1 million prize or the escalating Gold Ball jackpot that starts at $10 million – depend on the number of tickets sold nationwide.

The classic jackpot for Lotto 6/49 draws is always $5 million. The odds of winning it are one in 13,983,816.