$58M Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Jackpot claimed by Richmond man

A Richmond man is $58 million richer, after matching all 10 digits for the March 6 Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Jackpot.

Hao Ping Chung bought the winning ticket on PlayNow.com. BCLC says the man was “enticed” by the large jackpot and decided to put his luck to the test.

“I was at home when I found out I won. When I logged on to my PlayNow.com account I saw the balance. It didn’t feel real. I tried to withdraw the funds to see if it was actually there,” the lotto winner said Friday.

“It still feels unreal.”

Chung says he immediately told his parents, asking them to verify his win.

“They asked me if it was a scam,” he said, prompting laughs from a crowd.

The Richmond man describes himself as “just a regular guy.” While he doesn’t have any particular plans for his winnings yet, he says travel, buying his own home, and guitar lessons are in the cards.

“I love fishing … I might consider getting a fishing pole,” he said of additional hobbies.

Chung, who was born in Taiwan, moved to B.C. as a teenager and is a freelancer in the IT industry. He says he has plans to help his family with the life-changing money.

“I told them that I’m going to share with them,” he said.

“I just don’t know how much.”

Winning the mega prize isn’t stopping Chung from trying his luck in the future, saying he might consider buying another lottery ticket again.

The Gold Ball Draw is a guaranteed prize draw where players will win either the Guaranteed Prize of $1 million, or the growing Gold Ball Jackpot that starts at $10 million.

“There’s one chance in thirty that it’s a gold ball,” said BCLC COO Dan Beebe. “And that gold ball is accumulated every time the gold ball is not won. So, what happens is, over time that gold ball creeps up. And when the gold ball is drawn on that guaranteed prize win, that’s why you get these big numbers.”

BCLC says Chung is B.C.’s first Gold Ball Jackpot winner. The game was introduced in September 2022.

Lotto 6/49 is drawn on Wednesdays and Saturdays across the country.

Chung’s winning numbers were: 18041531-05.

With files from Kate Walker.