Two $1M lottery winners in Manitoba claim prizes

Jim Bester (left), along with Carol and Blaine Sangster, both recentl won $1M in Lotto Max draws. (Western Canada Lottery Corporation)

Two separate lottery draws have resulted in new millionaires in Manitoba.

Carol and Blaine Sangster of Brandon won $1 million in the Nov. 22 Lotto Max draw, while Jim Bester won his $1M Lotto Max prize with a free play ticket on Nov. 29.

The Sangsters said their win was unexpected and emotional for them.

“I checked the winning numbers on the website,” Carol said in a news release. "I sat there stunned, and then I think I just cried.”

Carol said she told Blaine, who was on his way to work at the time, to come home.

The couple told Western Canada Lottery Corporation they plan to buy a home together, share some of the windfall with family, and spoil their grandchildren at Christmas.

The Sangsters bought their ticket at Gambler Gas & Convenience Store in Brandon. Their winning numbers were 2, 4, 7, 11, 26, 30, and 47.

Bester also could not believe his free play ticket won him $1 million.

“I went to the manager to confirm, and she said, ‘It’s a million dollars!’” he said in a news release. “My face went white; I was in shock. I had people congratulating me and shaking my hand, and it was all a blur.

“I wanted to jump for joy and run around the store.”

Bester said he will use his winnings to pay off his mortgage, help family members, and go on a trip.

Bester received his ticket at a Red River Co-op on Main Street in Winnipeg. His winning numbers were 7, 12, 15, 21, 22, 30, and 41.