Harry Black has won an amazing double jackpot worth $31M. (British Columbia Lottery)
Harry Black won an incredible $31.7 million in the lottery. But the way he accomplished it is even more amazing.
As the BBC reports, Black, from British Columbia, won the money thanks to his purchasing two tickets with identical numbers.
"This is a wonderful surprise to all of us," said Kevin Gass of the British Columbia Lottery. "While it's not known how many people buy identical tickets for a draw, it is the first time in the company's recollection that we've had this unique sort of win."
The $63 million jackpot was ultimately split four ways. Meaning that if Black had used his winning numbers on just one ticket, the jackpot would have been split three ways and he would have walked away with a still whopping $20 million.
Black, 66, is not only a huge lottery winner, he's also patient. The Surrey resident has been playing the same lottery numbers since he was 31—which means he waited 35 years for his enormous payday.
Black said he has always purchased two tickets with the same numbers.
For the record, the winning numbers were 02, 10, 17, 19, 44 and 47.
Black already knew he was holding the winning pair of tickets since April 13, but he didn't step forward to claim the jackpot until the end of May while making plans for how he'd spend the money.
“After this is done, I’ve got to get out of Dodge and do something I've never done in my entire life: Go on a holiday,” he told CTV.
Interestingly, Black said he has no plans to retire on his winnings. Instead, he’ll use the proceeds from the jackpot to build a home and go on vacation. He also plans to share some of the winnings with friends and family.
"I already got enough toys,” he said at the press conference where he was awarded his giant lottery check. “I worked hard for them. Maybe I’ll have time to play with them.”
Black said he’d never won more than $10 off a single ticket before. He purchased the two winning tickets at a local Chevron gas station.
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