Co-workers split $6-million Halloween lottery jackpot

Coquitlam resident Heewon (Theresa) Choi, along with Melanie Nolan and their two other co-workers had an memorable Halloween after learning they had won $6 million from the October 31, 2020 Lotto 6/49 draw.

Choi is team “captain” of a group of four players that works at Royal Columbia Hospital in New Westminster, and has been playing together for about a year. Group members often use birth dates and anniversaries to select their numbers. Choi purchased the ticket at Shoppers Drug Mart on East Columbia Street and was at the office when she scanned the ticket on her BCLC Lotto! App.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Choi. “I immediately showed it to Melanie who sits right next to me.”

“I thought it was $6,000 when she showed it to me,” Nolan recalled. “When the other two group members started their shift, Melanie and I told them,” said Choi. “They thought it was a joke!”

Once the news had sunk in, Choi told her family, who reacted with screams of excitement and, next Nolan told her partner, who responded with a text message saying in disbelief: “It’s not April Fools!”

The group plans on celebrating its windfall over a nice meal together and Nolan plans to donate some of her winnings to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, as well as possibly pursuing school.

“I’ve always dreamed about being a millionaire, I feel like I’m in a dream,” Choi said.

Lottery players who are part of a group should always appoint someone to coordinate collecting participant’s money, buying the group’s tickets, tracking group winnings and posting results. When purchasing as a group, it’s always a good idea to have a record of which group members have contributed to the ticket purchases. BCLC has a Group Play Agreement Form on bclc.com to make it easier to manage group play.

So far in 2020, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $91 million in winnings from Lotto 6/49.