Lucky trio strikes gold: Friends of Calgary win $50 million in lottery

In Calgary, three longtime friends and former teammates are celebrating the incredible fortune of pocketing a staggering $16.6 million in the $50 million Lotto 6-49.

Carmen Austria, Gary Perkins and Kathryn Wall, who have bought tickets together for 17 years, hit the jackpot on December 9, 2023.

“I get up in the morning, pour my hot coffee, grab my phone and start checking tickets,” Austria said. “He shows up and says, 'This is like a $50 million winner.' I looked and looked. I went to my husband and said, “Tell me, I'm not reading this wrong.''

Their winning ticket, a $10 investment, was purchased at Scenic Acres Husky in Calgary.

Perkins recalled receiving phone calls and text messages from friends, initially struggling to make sense of the news.

“It didn't register at first,” he admitted.

“It was a constant, consistent lack of confidence,” Perkins added. “It can't be.”

All three budding millionaires plan to share the money with their families and have already spent some of their winnings on their own adventures.

“I didn't waste any time,” Perkins laughed, recalling the next day's visit to the Ford dealership.

For Wall, the windfall means an immediate retirement announcement at work. Her husband was also able to retire.

“We're still trying to work our way around it,” Wall said. “We've always been friends and we started buying lottery tickets as a social thing.”

“I couldn't sleep,” said Austria, who traveled to Chile for five weeks after learning she was the winner. “I swam.”

Their journey to the world of millionaires did not go unnoticed.

A friend's gesture — a “Millionaire's Starter Kit,” including a glitter mug and a new money gun covered in fake $100 bills — added humor to their new status.

© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.