Scott bought his ticket at the M & M Mini Mart in nearby Ardmore and says the store had always been lucky for him, so he went back looking for another successful ticket, and ended up winning more than he ever could have imagined. Recalling the moment he told his wife Sheena, Raymond said in the Edmonton Sun: “I found her and told her that we won. She just looked at me and said, ‘Yeah, okay - whatever. Whenever I win anything, $2 or whatever, I tell her that we won the lottery, so I actually had to show her the ticket to prove it.”
As he was presented with his cheque for $50 million, Raymond was asked why he had been in the Mini Mart, and said: “We had to go get birth control.” The answer took everyone by surprise, including Bill Robinson, the president of the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, who responded: “I’ve been doing this a long time. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that line.”
Raymond also admitted that it was ‘pretty crazy the difference a year makes’, having had cancer surgery 12 months earlier. He did not elaborate on his illness but did describe himself as part of the ‘working poor’ and said that he and his wife had not been able to go on a honeymoon when they got married last summer.
He is now looking forward to rectifying that and also plans to give up his job managing a trucking company in the next few months. As a truck driver, he has spent a lot of time away from his loved ones over the years and he is now looking forward to reconnecting. Raymond added: “It’s been a struggle for our whole family, for generations before. We’ve never had anything like this. My family has always helped me out when I needed it, so I’m looking forward to returning the favour.”
As well as going on a honeymoon and treating his family, Raymond and his wife are also set to visit Toronto next week to watch a baseball match and speak with investors. There will be a chance for other Lotto Max players to follow in Raymond and Sheena’s footsteps and become multi-millionaires when the next draw takes place on Friday night, with the jackpot worth an estimated $26 million following a double rollover.
