All Tickets Purchased with "Quick Pick" Option
Buying Lottery Tickets for Fun Since 1982
A retired man in Canada has made headlines after winning the lottery three times in nine months, taking home a total of $2.5 million CAD (approximately 3.4 billion KRW).
On June 8 (local time), the Calgary Herald, a Canadian media outlet, reported on the lottery-winning story of David Serkin, who lives in Lethbridge, Alberta. From August last year to May this year, Serkin won large lottery prizes three times over a span of nine months.
Serkin first won $500,000 CAD (about 700 million KRW) in Lotto Max on August 20 of last year. Less than three months later, on November 16 of the same year, he won $1 million CAD (about 1.4 billion KRW) in Lotto 6/49. Then, on May 3 of this year, he became the lucky winner of another $1 million CAD in Lotto 6/49 Classic. For all his wins, he used the Quick Pick option.
This series of consecutive wins is recorded as one of the rarest cases in the history of the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC). According to WCLC, the odds of winning the Lotto Max jackpot are 1 in 33,294,800, while the odds of winning the Lotto 6/49 Classic are 1 in 13,983,816. In addition, Serkin had previously won $250,000 CAD several years ago, bringing his total winnings to $2.75 million CAD (about 3.7 billion KRW).
Emily Olson, spokesperson for WCLC, stated that after investigating Serkin's consecutive wins, they verified that all of his winnings were random and legitimate. Olson explained, "Winning is random and happens by chance, so it is entirely possible for someone to win multiple times."
Serkin shared that his secret to winning is consistently buying lottery tickets. He has been purchasing tickets regularly since Lotto 6/49 was first introduced in Canada in 1982. He said, "I know the odds of winning are astronomical," and added, "I simply enjoy buying tickets and checking to see if I've won." He also said, "I am just grateful to be alive and healthy, having survived cancer and retired," and added, "I don't expect to win again, but I still enjoy buying lottery tickets."
With his previous winnings, Serkin traveled to Hawaii with his wife. With his latest prize, he is planning a trip to Newfoundland in eastern Canada.
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