An eastern Manitoba man is speaking out about his plans for a historic $46 million lottery windfall—the largest Lotto 6/49 prize ever awarded in the province.
Earl Giesbrecht of Whitemouth claimed the prize at a ceremony Thursday with his family in attendance. The winning ticket was purchased at Whitemouth First Stop Grocers, in the town located approximately 80 kilometres east of Winnipeg.
Giesbrecht, 70, said he almost didn’t bother checking his tickets on the day of the May 16 draw—which also happened to be his son Travis’ wedding day. He said he first heard on the radio around 3:30 p.m. that someone in Manitoba had won.
According to the 70 year old man When a store clerk clarified the actual amount, Giesbrecht said he called his brother in a panic.
“He thought I was having a heart attack. He came down and I leaned on him.”
The win still hasn’t fully sunk in, he said, noting his previous biggest prize was $1,200 years ago.
When asked what he will do with that kind of big money he said They will tell dad what to do and not what to do—besides the financial advisors,” he said.
Giesbrecht further said each of his children will receive a vehicle of their choice and he also intends to pay off bills for his ex-wife and help set her up financially, and a family trip abroad is in the works.
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