The couple had previously won CAD$128,000 back in 1989, then a CAD$100,000 prize in 2010, but carried on playing and have now been rewarded with an incredible seven-figure windfall. They bought one of two winning tickets for the Lotto 6/49 draw on 22nd February, and have now come forward to share the story of their amazing lucky streak.
Barbara was the first to find out about the latest win, and called her husband straight away. She explained to reporters: “He didn’t answer, so I waited five minutes and tried again. That time, he picked up and I said, ‘I’ve done it again’.” Speaking of their plans for the future, Barbara added: “Family comes first - we want to make sure that our daughters and our grandkids are looked after.”
The happy couple, from Alberta in Western Canada, also intend to use some of the winnings to go travelling and move home. Douglas said: “Barbara wants a new house, so she’ll get one.”
Lotto 6/49 is played twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the current jackpot stands at CAD$7 million. Players can choose their numbers online or visit authorised retailers in Canada, and it may be that Douglas and Barbara play again this weekend in a bid to strike it lucky for a fourth time.
They are not the only players to have defied the odds to win big lottery prizes more than once. A family from Bo’ness in Scotland hit the headlines last year after notching up several great prizes, while David and Kathleen Long from Scunthorpe have bagged two separate prizes of £1 million.