If I hadn't had that $20 in my pocket, I never would have bought the ticket!”
Doug Putland of Prince Albert is Saskatchewan’s newest multimillionaire after winning the $44 million LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot on the August 8 draw.
“I’ve bought tickets for years,” he said. “I always bought them on the way to Roughrider games!”
On the day he purchased the jackpot-winning ticket, Putland stopped at the gas station while travelling to a game in his full Roughrider fan gear, complete with a green beard.
“I had a $20 bill in my pocket, so I bought the ticket,” he said. “If I hadn’t had that $20 in my pocket, I never would have bought the ticket!”
When he checked the ticket later in the store, Putland struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.
“I thought it was $44 thousand, then $440 thousand,” he laughed. “I went over to the counter, and all hell broke loose over it. The staff were all coming over to check.”
“The cashier pointed the zeroes out with her pen, and it suddenly dawned on me,” he continued. “I put my hand over my heart. I was just in shock!”
Putland immediately sent for reinforcements.
“I sent someone out to get my wife who was waiting in the car,” he explained. “When she came in, I told her we’d won and how much and she just went white!”
Now that the reality of the win is beginning to sink in, Putland is focused on helping the people he loves most.
“My number one priority is to help all of my kids and put money into my grandkids’ education,” he smiled. “My wife was a teacher, so I’ve put her in charge of navigating that.”
“We also just bought a new truck!”
The Prince Albert winner also plans to honour someone special.
“My cousin just passed away,” he said. “I would like to fix up the ball diamonds in our hometown and name them in his honour. He was my best friend.”
The family is looking forward to making memories together.
“We’re going to take a vacation with some friends and do a big family trip to Hawaii!” he said.
Putland said the win feels especially meaningful because of the impact lottery sales have had on communities across Saskatchewan. He’s a sports fan and has spent his life participating in sports communities with his family.
“I’ve done a lot of work with kids’ sports associations here in the province and I know how much Sask Sport and Sask Lotteries help with those programs,” he said. “My mom always said, ‘What you give, you get back.’”
Putland purchased his winning LOTTO 6/49 ticket from Co-op at 900 Saskatchewan St. in Rosthern. He won the $44 million LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot on the August 8 draw with the selection 23202513-03, a gold ball.