Sicamous man ‘dumbfounded’ after $1.6M lottery win at Vernon casino

A Sicamous man “dumbfounded” by a $1.6 million lottery win plans to slow things down a bit.

Grabbing a bite with a friend at Lake City Casino in Vernon on Jan. 8 became a life-changing experience for Pierre B. after he fed some money into a Powerbucks™ Whitney Houston™ that he had previously enjoyed playing at another casino. Rightfully so, as he spun his way to a $1,657,818.32 jackpot.

“After I ate, I sat at it and a few minutes later I won,” he said in a media release from the B.C. Lottery Corporation in which he recalled the moment he won the progressive jackpot. “I was dumbfounded and thought, ‘This isn’t happening’. I thought I was going to drop to the floor!”

On a minimum $3 bet on that machine, players are eligible for the progressive jackpot that offers prizes of $1 million or more. The odds of winning the jackpot on a $3 wager, however, are approximately one in 25 million.

Once he recovered from the initial shock, Pierre shared the news with his friend, who was equally stunned.

“My friend started crying,” he said. “He couldn’t believe it and his mouth dropped.”

Recently retired, Pierre’s immediate plans for his winnings include buying his son a new car and relocating to Vancouver Island in the near future to “go to the beach and pick shells… slow life down a bit.”

As he drove home that night, the newly minted millionaire said he “had a happy feeling inside.”