Quesnel man $46 million jackpot story stunned Canada after Richard Z. discovered, ten months after the draw, that he held the winning Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball ticket. The Quesnel man $46 million win, reported by BCLC and 604 Now, came from the 20 December 2025 Lotto 6/49 draw — a prize that sat unclaimed in plain sight for months.
According to 604 Now, when Quesnel resident Richard Z. saw that someone had won the Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Jackpot with a ticket purchased in Quesnel, he decided to check his ticket. It was then that he found out he had won a major prize. “The ticket was only visually validated,” Richard said. “I checked the BCLC website and had an inkling I may have the winning ticket. When it said it was the Gold Ball, that’s when the overwhelming feelings set in; knowing that out of everyone in Canada, I had the ticket that won $46 million.”
Tears of joy, then a slow plan
He shared the good news first with his wife. “At first, there were tears of joy. It was overwhelming!” The winning ticket was bought at Billy Barker Casino in Quesnel, according to BCLC. Richard has plans to travel to see the pyramids and “move forward slowly.” He says winning “feels great. We want to live the life we live now and still want to keep our lives simple!”
That desire to keep life simple, after a $46-million discovery, is what readers latched onto. Ten months of carrying a fortune without knowing it, then choosing not to let it rewrite everything at once.
A reminder to check old tickets
The case also became a cautionary tale in reverse: an unclaimed jackpot that was not lost, just unchecked. BCLC and lottery outlets regularly remind players to validate tickets, and Richard’s story is now the example — a ticket bought in Quesnel, a Gold Ball jackpot, and a winner who only found out because he read a local news story about his own town.
For Richard, the wait is over. For everyone else holding an old ticket in a drawer, the message is clear: check it. You might have been a millionaire for months and not known.
Related reading: Maple Ridge Man Wins $1 Million Lotto Max on Light Bulb Errand
