The winning numbers from the April 15 draw were 1, 3, 7, 13, 22, 47, with Bonus 30, and Tusnady matched all six main numbers to hit the jackpot. The winning ticket was bought from a gas station in Surrey, B.C.
Having staked a claim for the prize, he received his prize at the B.C. Lottery Corporation’s first virtual celebration for a new millionaire. He revealed that he had found out about his big win in the ‘smallest room’ in the house, having taken a bathroom break and checked the results.
“It's a little embarrassing but that's where I actually matched, googled the numbers,” said Tusnady. He did not start celebrating straight away, though, as he felt he needed to check the numbers five times. “It was a shock. It took me a while to get over that.”
Tusnady returned to watching television in a state of shock and kept the news to himself until the next day when he told his wife. They checked the numbers another five times together.
“That was it. Then we told friends and relatives," he said, adding that they shared the news over video chat. “They were all very happy ... but no one believes it at first. Everyone thinks it’s a joke.”
Tusnady, who worked as a pharmacist for 38 years before he retired in 2018, was given his cheque on a hockey stick by BCLC interim president and CEO Greg Moore so that physical distancing rules could be maintained.
The event was livestreamed on Facebook and he was asked about how he would spend the money. “Obviously we will stay at home for the time being. We are ready to make plans and we have plans to help our relatives and that's very important and we can start doing that very soon,” said Tusnady.
He did reveal that he hoped to visit both Argentina and Uruguay when the travelling ban is over. However, he thinks he will ‘take a little rest’ from the lottery for now after playing on and off for 15 years.
Lotto 6/49 is played every Wednesday and Saturday night and offers big jackpots which have been known to climb higher than $60 million.