A train conductor from Surrey is riding the tracks with an additional half a million dollars to his name after matching all five numbers in the October 21, 2019 Daily Grand draw to win the secondary prize of $25,000 a year for life.
Even after winning big on Daily Grand and opting for the lump-sum payment of $500,000, Nelson Botelho doesn’t plan to give up the job he loves.
“I get to spend my day working with trains, doing what I love,” says Botelho. “Winning a half million dollars certainly makes it easier to pursue ‘Freedom 55’, though.”
Botelho says it took a few days after the draw to realize he had a winning ticket in his wallet.
“It was in my wallet for four days. I only remembered to check my ticket on the BCLC Lotto! App just before I went to bed. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night.”
As for what comes next, Botelho says the $500,000 prize would help pay off his mortgage and leave enough for a trip to Portugal with his family.
“I’ve always dreamed of being able to take my kids to the town that my parents grew up in.”
