City’s newest millionaire hits $55 million jackpot

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on May 12, 2023.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Aaron Parsons, alongside his girlfriend Amanda Gonzalez, was presented Thursday as the Lethbridge's newest millionaire after his $55 million lotto win.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.comFollow @APulidoHerald on Twitter

Lethbridge has a new millionaire. The lucky winner of the $55 million Lotto Max  jackpot on April 25 was announced by the Western Canada Lottery Corporation Thursday at Pure Casino Lethbridge. 

Lethbridge’s newest millionaire, 33-year-old Aaron Parsons, won the fifth largest Lotto Max win in Alberta in the past few years, and the biggest jackpot to date in Lethbridge. He purchased his ticket just a few days before the April 25 draw. 

“I was just at work, doing a normal day and I was just taking a break in the afternoon. I decided to check my tickets. I saw this no-name ad on Facebook or something and it said that there was a winner in Alberta, so I said I might as well check,” said Parsons. 

He said he couldn’t believe it and started to shake violently, so he decided to leave work early  since he was not feeling so good. 

“I was just super overwhelmed, anxious, excited, happy, cried a little bit, went home and told my girlfriend that we won. And she didn’t believe it at first,” said Parsons. 

He said when he got home he could barely speak, so he just scanned the ticket and showed her his phone. 

“She thought it said $55,000 which is still a lot, but not enough to be crying and sobbing and hysterically laughing onto her shoulders, but then once I composed myself a little bit, she asked how much it was again. I said $55 million and then it was her turn to break down,” said Parsons. 

He said the first thing he wants to do with his money is retire his parents, and as cliche as it sounds, he is taking his girlfriend to Disneyland. 

Parson said he had been purchasing lottery tickets for a while before he won. 

“Basically, get a super pack every week or so, miss a week here and there, but pretty much every week for the last 10 years,” said Parsons. 

He said this is the first time he won something worth calling someone about. Prior to that he had won a few “redeem in store” type prizes. 

Parsons ,who was born in Nova Scotia and has been a Lethbridge resident for the last 14 years, said it was worth the wait to purchase the ticket here, and now being able to receive his winnings here. 

He said he has been consulting with financial advisors regarding his winnings, as well as looking into some real estate and travelling. 

“It’s been two weeks of whirlwind meetings – I haven’t been doing it alone for sure,” said Parsons. 

He said that even though he wants to purchase a few vehicles, he will make responsible choices. 

“Nothing crazy and end up hurting myself in a Lamborghini or Ferrari or something like that, so I’ll keep it responsible for sure,” said Parsons. 

Follow @APulidoHerald on Twitter