An Okotoks man plans to help a friend after a multi-million-dollar lottery win.
After purchasing a LOTTO 6/49 ticket at the 7-Eleven on Elizabeth Street in Okotoks, Stephen Pegler matched all six numbers and won $5 million in an April draw.
Pegler said he managed to stay calm after he checked his ticket in-store and discovered he had won.
“I scanned the ticket, saw all the zeroes on the screen and quickly put the ticket in my pocket,” he said. “The whole time I was thinking ‘stay calm, don’t get excited – not yet.’”
He went home to double check the numbers online to make sure they were correct.
“When I knew for sure, I told my wife," he said. "We both cried and started to feel shaky, we were stunned and so happy.”
The Peglers said this win has come at a great time for them.
“It’s been a tough couple of years,” Pegler said. “I feel like this is the universe kind of making up for it, for us anyway.”
Due to the timing of the windfall, he said it’s clear what they have to do with some of the prize money.
“We’re going to help a friend in need,” he said. “A friend of ours needs to travel to the (United) States for some medical tests, (and) we’ll make it easier on the family.”
Pegler said he and his wife also plan to put some money toward retirement, and they hope to visit their daughter who lives in London, England.
