Bought Lotto with 'Family Anniversary' Number for 36 Years... Became the Owner of 20.4 Billion Won Prize

Steven Dickson (70), who bought the same lottery number every week for 36 weeks, won the first prize of 20 million Canadian dollars in the lotto lottery. Photo by OLG website capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] A man who has been buying lottery tickets with numbers based on family anniversaries for 36 years has finally won first prize.

According to recent reports from CTV, Steven Dickson (70), who lives in Toronto, Canada, became the winner of a lottery jackpot worth 20 million Canadian dollars (approximately 20.41 billion KRW).

In an interview with OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation), he said, "I have always bought lottery tickets with the same numbers since I first bought a Wintario ticket 36 years ago," adding, "I continued to use the same numbers when buying Lotto 6/49." The numbers he used were related to family anniversaries.

Dickson stopped by a convenience store for a moment and learned about his win through the TV there. He was very happy, and those around him reportedly congratulated him. He recalled, "When I checked my numbers on the broadcast, I was first prize," and "I was stunned for a moment."

Dickson's wife initially could not believe the news of the win. He said, "Because the prize amount was so large, my wife thought it was a joke," and added, "This win is thanks to my family, and I think it’s wonderful to be able to share this joy with them."

He also said, "I am not a materialistic person," and added, "I want to spend the rest of my life making memories with my family."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.