Send this page to someone via email

This year’s holiday season is going to be a lot more merry and bright for one lucky Calgary man.

Joshua Caines collected his $50-million prize on Friday, months after the Aug. 30 LOTTO MAX draw.

Caines didn’t know he had the winning lottery ticket for more than two months. He said the winning ticket sat in his wallet and then on a shelf until November, when he finally decided to check it.

“I had heard that the $50 million was still unclaimed in Calgary,” Caines said. “And I knew I had some tickets I hadn’t had time to check yet.”

READ MORE: Winning ticket for $50M Lotto Max jackpot sold in Calgary

He checked the winning numbers online and scanned it with the Western Canadian Lottery Corporation Lottery Manager app on his phone to confirm he had a winner.

Story continues below advertisement

“I thought to myself, ‘Am I seeing this right?'” Caines said. “Once I showed it to a couple of people, that’s when it started to feel real.”

The Calgarian said he’ll take his time to plan for the future and not make any major decisions immediately on what to do with his winnings.

Caines bought his $9 quick pick LOTTO MAX ticket from the 7-Eleven at 7712 Ranchview Drive NW in Calgary.

READ MORE: Ticket for $65M Lotto Max sold in Calgary

Caines becomes the third massive LOTTO MAX winner from Alberta this year. In August, an Edmonton man claimed a $60-million jackpot and another Calgarian captured a $65-million prize in October.