'Struggling' Canadian father wins record $80M lottery jackpot. Here's what he did before he claimed the prize

The biggest jackpot ever awarded to a single person in Canada was claimed by Justin Simporios from Surrey, B.C. during a press conference Thursday. At $80 million, it was also the largest lottery ever awarded in B.C. Here’s what we know about the 35-year-old winner and what he plans to do next. Who is the winner of the $80 million lottery jackpot? Simporios, who is married and has a daughter, joked with his wife that he had won the lottery after he learned that the prize winning ticket was sold in Surrey. He has lived in Surrey for four years before moving from Montreal. Late Friday evening on May 9 he realized he, indeed, had won the jackpot. At 10:30 p.m. that day, while trying not to wake his daughter up who was sleeping, he says he sat on the bed with a flashlight, trying to track the winning lottery numbers. “I shouted. I cried. I turned out the lights. My wife was mad again,” he said while laughing, The Canadian Press reports. What was he doing when he bought the record prize-winning ticket? It was dinner prep that led to the 35-year-old buying the historic lottery ticket. Simporios was planning on having burgers with his wife and daughter but realized he needed to buy buns and cheese. “He noticed at the Central City Walmart that they also sold lottery tickets so he bought a $12 quick pick,” Global News reports. What did he do before claiming the prize? A couple of hours before the Thursday press conference, Simporios says he “just threw in my resignation through an email.” He was working at a logistics firm in their health and safety department. He wanted them to know that he was “stepping away.” “I’m working with (a) good operations team, my boss, they’re all great,” CP reports. At the conference, the 35-year-old said “thank you” repeatedly, Vancouver Sun reports. “I just can’t help my tears. But thank you so much, thank you so much. These aren’t sad tears, they’re happy tears,” he said. “It’s an amazing feeling, it’s sinking in now that it’s real.” What does he plan to do next? Simporios plans to buy a “dream home” in Metro Vancouver with the prize money after first sitting down with a financial adviser “right away.” “But once that meeting is done, it’s always a dream home,” he said. He also plans to spend time with his family, pay off his sister’s medical debt, help his mother retire early, and give back to the community. “I’m an immigrant. I came from a poor country. Like, this money’s a lot, right? I’ve been struggling. I’m a father. I work full time,” he said, CTV News reports. “With this amount of money, I’ll be able to spend more time with my daughter, with my wife, with my family. Like, it’s awesome. I’m just feeling blessed right now.”

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