Skip to content

Chilliwack grandma says $500,000 Lotto Max win is ‘Extra’ special

‘I will celebrate at home and share the rest with my kids and grandkids’
21565379_web1_200515-CPL-ChilliwackGrandmaWinsLotto-lotto_1
Chilliwack’s Mary Hnatiw says that winning $500,000 from the May 1, 2020 Lotto Max draw feels ‘Extra’ special. (BC Lottery Corp. photo)

Chilliwack’s Mary Hnatiw, who has been keeping busy these days by cooking and sewing at home, says that winning $500,000 from the May 1, 2020 Lotto Max draw feels ‘Extra’ special.

Hnatiw said she was “in shock” after scanning her ticket after filling up at the gas station, and realizing she’d won. The first person she told that she’d matched all four numbers to win the top Lotto Max Extra prize was her daughter.

“[My daughter] was so surprised, she said ‘I can’t believe it!’” Hnatiw recalled.

Hnatiw, who has been playing the lottery for 25 years and likes to play Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49, purchased her ticket at the Lickman Chevron in Chilliwack and says she always says yes to the Extra.

READ MORE: Forgotten lottery ticket was worth $250,000

Hnatiw received her winnings through BCLC’s temporary alternate prize-claim process. On what it was like to claim a large lottery prize during a worldwide pandemic, Hnatiw noted, “It has been great — I am glad I can safely claim while staying safe at home.”

As far as her plans for enjoying her win, Hnatiw says she would like to travel at some point.

“I would like to go back to Europe…but right now that is not an option,” she says. “I will celebrate at home and share the rest with my kids and grandkids.”

READ MORE: Okanagan man claims second lottery win with help from beloved dog


@CHWKcommunity
jpeters@theprogress.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation here.



Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
Read more