Helen Covin of Sydney, N.S. got the kind of news most people could only dream of when she won $1 million on the May 1 Lotto 6/49 Guaranteed Prize draw.
“I had heard someone in Cape Breton had won, and every time I hear that I think how nice it is,” Covin said. “It never dawned on me that it could be me, though.”
“I’ve played my own regular numbers for so long, I knew I hadn’t won on those,” Covin said. “When I saw the Guaranteed Prize number, I had to read it over about three times, going very, very slowly.”
After the big win, Covin said she will continue to play Lotto 6/49 because she has yet to win the main draw using her own special set of numbers.
Covin doesn’t own her own home and she has no plans to purchase one as she loves her apartment, her neighbours and the neighbourhood cats that she feeds each day.
“I told my sister ‘I can’t move from here, I still have Boots coming for lunch all the time,’” Covin said. “There are many reasons I love it here but that is a big one.” Covin will not be the only one to benefit from her Lotto 6/49 win as she plans to share some of her winnings with family and friends. She intends to invest her remaining prize money in order to ensure a secure and comfortable future.
Lotto 6/49 draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday, each offering a Guaranteed Prize draw for $1 million in addition to the main jackpot. The Guaranteed Prize draw selection that Covin won on is a 10-digit computer generated number included on every Lotto 6/49 ticket.
Covin purchased her winning ticket at Giant Tiger in Sydney, N.S. The retailer will receive a one per cent seller’s prize.