Lotto 6/49: Friends gift Alberta lottery winner reading glasses after he nearly misses $5M win

You can bet that Norman Stretch won’t be losing his reading glasses again anytime soon — especially after he nearly mistook his Lotto 6/49 $5 million win for a $5,000 one.

“I thought I’d won $5,000 because I couldn’t find my reading glasses,” said Stretch. “I called my friend to show him, and he said, ‘Check again with your glasses on, dummy!’”

After putting on his glasses, Stretch realized he had actually won $5,000,0004 as part of the April 13 Lotto 6/49 draw. The central Alberta winner said he could not stop laughing, and couldn’t wait to tell his friends the funny story.

“I’ve told my friends from my army days who told me it couldn’t have happened to a better guy,” said Stretch.

To make the situation even better, Stretch’s friends responded to his win in the funniest way possible.

“My buddy just bought me 10 new pairs of reading glasses,” Stretch laughed. “I keep finding them everywhere. I can’t stop laughing!”

Norman Stretch purchased his LOTTO 6/49 ticket from 7-Eleven at 1005 Quarry Ridge Drive in Fort MacMurray. He won his prize by matching all six numbers drawn in the LOTTO 6/49 April 13 Classic Draw — 11, 17, 21, 27, 41, 44.

Once Stretch saw the amount he had actually won, he was in disbelief.

“I was just like, ‘Holy cow!’” said Stretch, who still considers the life-changing prize unfathomable. “I was sitting at a BBQ with a buddy, and we were trying to figure out how many rolls of toonies that would be!”

As for what Stretch plans to do with all those toonies, the lucky winner said he’s not looking to buy a fancy house or change his lifestyle anytime soon. Instead, he wants to experience more of life by the mountains and ocean.

“I just realized, I’ve lived in Alberta my whole life and I’ve never been skiing,” he said at his prize claim. “I think it’s time to try some new things; I might take up surfing!”

The Lotto 6/49 Classic Jackpot draw is offered every Wednesday and Saturday, and is made up of six numbers drawn from a range of 1 to 49. If a ticket sold for the draw matches all six numbers in exact order, then that ticket wins the Classic Jackpot $5 million prize.

Tools to stop gambling

If you’re looking to take a break from gambling, self-exclusion programs can be effective tools. See here for resources that are available across Canada.