Mehrdad P. only went out to buy a light bulb.
On the way, the Maple Ridge, B.C., man pulled into a gas station and ran his Lotto Max ticket through the self-scanner. It was worth $1 million.
He got back in the car and drove straight home. When he told his wife, he said he’d won $100,000. A second check would show a much bigger prize.
“You are acting weird”
His wife knew something was up the second he walked in.
“She said, ‘You are acting weird,’ and I told her, ‘I am weird,’” Mehrdad said in a statement from the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.
Then he shared the news.
“I told her I won $100,000, but later we checked on the BCLC Lotto! App and saw it was one million!”
His wife got the good news twice. The second time, it was 10 times bigger.
“I’m super excited,” Mehrdad said. “I can’t describe it.”
He hasn’t decided what to do with most of the money. One plan is already set: a dream holiday with his family. For the rest, he’s taking his time.
Where the winning ticket was sold
Mehrdad bought his ticket at the Smart Stop inside the Esso station at Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue in Burnaby.
It was for the Friday, Oct. 9 Lotto Max draw. BCLC announced his win on Oct. 19.
He didn’t win the main jackpot. He won one of the draw’s $1 million Maxmillions prizes.
What’s a Maxmillions prize?
Maxmillions are how a lot of Lotto Max millionaires are made.
Once the main jackpot reaches $50 million, extra $1 million prizes called Maxmillions are added to the draw. Each one has its own set of seven winning numbers. Match all seven on any line of your ticket and you win that $1 million, or share it if someone else matched too.
The bigger the jackpot grows, the more Maxmillions prizes there are. On big draw nights, plenty of players become millionaires without touching the jackpot.
Lotto Max changed this year
If you haven’t bought a Lotto Max ticket in a while, it’s different now.
Since April 14, 2026, a play costs $6 instead of $5. You get four sets of seven numbers instead of three. The jackpot can now grow to $90 million, up from $80 million.
Draws are still every Tuesday and Friday.
$100,000 prizes vs. Maxmillions
The April changes also added a new prize, and it’s easy to confuse with Maxmillions. That’s a fitting mix-up for this story.
MAXPLUS prizes are worth $100,000 each. They were added in April, and the number of them in each draw grows with the jackpot.
Maxmillions prizes are worth $1 million each. They kick in once the jackpot reaches $50 million.
Both work the same way. Each has its own separate draw, you need all seven numbers on one line, and the prize is shared if more than one ticket matches.
Mehrdad’s ticket won a Maxmillions prize. He told his wife it was $100,000. The app showed it was the $1 million kind.
A big year for B.C. players
Mehrdad has plenty of company. BCLC says B.C. players had redeemed more than $141 million in Lotto Max prizes this year by the time his win was announced.
One recent winner had a much longer wait to find out.
A Quesnel man waited 10 months to find out he’d won $46 million
Richard Z. of Quesnel had a winning ticket for the Dec. 20, 2025 Lotto 6/49 draw. It won the $46 million Gold Ball jackpot. He didn’t know for almost 10 months.
He was relaxing at home when he heard a big winning ticket had been sold in Quesnel. So he checked his own on BCLC’s website.
“When it said it was the Gold Ball, that’s when the overwhelming feelings set in,” he said. “At first, there were tears of joy.”
He’d bought the ticket at the Billy Barker Casino in Quesnel. He claimed his prize at BCLC’s Kamloops office on Oct. 16, with roughly nine weeks left before the deadline.
Despite the money, he says he wants to keep life simple. He and his wife plan to travel, and the pyramids are at the top of the list.
Other recent lottery winners in Alberta and B.C.
Mehrdad and Richard aren’t the only ones with a memorable story this fall:
High River, Alta., $1 million: Julio Benitez thought he’d broken the ticket checker when its screen went black at a Calgary gas station. He’d actually won $1 million on Lotto 6/49. Read his story
Edmonton, $1 million: Rhonda Starkell couldn’t sleep, so she checked her Lotto 6/49 ticket at 2:30 a.m. She’d won $1 million on what would have been her late father’s birthday. Read her story
Surrey, B.C., $32 million: Amritpal S. won a $32 million Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot and plans to buy a house and his dream car. Read his story
Every one of them had a moment when the size of the prize finally sank in.
How long do you have to claim?
For Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49, winners generally have 52 weeks from the draw date to claim their prize. Richard is proof that tickets can sit around a lot longer than you’d think.
In Alberta, you can check tickets at any lottery retailer, online through PlayAlberta or with the Western Canada Lottery Corporation’s app. In B.C., use a retailer, BCLC’s website or the BCLC Lotto! app.
Check the back of your ticket for the exact rules, and don’t leave an old one sitting in the glovebox.
For Mehrdad, an ordinary errand turned into the best news of his year. “I’m super excited,” he said. “I can’t describe it.”
Play responsibly. Lottery results are based on chance, so only spend what you can afford to lose.
Sources
British Columbia Lottery Corporation, “Maple Ridge Resident Taking Family on Dream Vacation After Scoring $1 Million from Lotto Max,” Oct. 19, 2026: https://corporate.bclc.com/articles/winners/2026/maple-ridge-resident-taking-family-on-dream-vacation-after-scori.html
British Columbia Lottery Corporation, winner news: https://corporate.bclc.com/articles/winners.html
Western Canada Lottery Corporation, Lotto Max: https://www.wclc.com/
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