Jackpot makes forklift driver an instant millionaire

News Story
- 8 Jul 2004 ( #165 ) - MONCTON, Canada
1 min read
A laid-back 40-year-old, single forklift driver has joined the ranks of Canada's millionaires after hitting the jackpot in a lottery.
Michael Lavigne told the Canadian Press "it hasn't sunken in yet" when he picked up his CAD1 million (USD754,090) top prize from the June 26 Atlantic 49 lottery. "That's a lot of zeroes," he said.
Lavigne said his life would not change much, even keeping his job at a fish plant because "they're short-handed".
"I don't plan on splurging a whole lot of money for this or that," he said. "I don't need anything right now."
Lavigne said he bought his winning ticket at a convenience store, where he allowed the machine to randomly select his numbers.
When he returned to the store, he discovered he had won CAD2.00 on his ticket before noticing the bottom line of numbers matched the top prize.
"I shook a little bit, but not much," he said. "(The clerk) was more excited than I was."
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