A pair of lucky locals are carrying heavier wallets after cashing in on a $25-million jackpot.
Dustin Gibson and Tristan Hodge, both of Jarvie, are two of the 15 CanElson Drilling coworkers splitting the Nov. 2 Lotto Max jackpot — each claiming $1.6 million.
“The wife didn’t believe me when I woke her up at 11:30 at night. She texted me an hour later and (asked) am I (kidding) her or not,” Gibson said. “I don’t think she slept for the rest of the night. I know I sure didn’t.”
The winning ticket was purchased by rig manager Keith Gould from a Shoppers Drug Mart in Edson.
He said he doesn’t normally check the tickets until the day after the draw, but decided to go online Friday night to compare numbers.
Gould said he looked at the numbers about a thousand times before calling Gibson over to take a look.
“He sat in the corner with his arms crossed, shaking, telling me to look at the laptop and read the numbers off to him,” Gibson said. “I went through the numbers and my heart blew out of my chest and I dropped to the ground — right down to my knees. I couldn’t believe it.”
Hodge was the third coworker to learn of the winnings.
Most of the winners said they plan to pay off debts, enjoy Christmas with their families and take a vacation.
“I’m going to Disneyland,” Hodge said.
Gibson said he plans to invest some of his winnings, so it lasts as long as it can for himself, his wife and their two children, adding he has no plans to leave Jarvie.
“I’m not leaving. It’s a good community,” he said.
The crew came together roughly less than four months ago, although Gibson said he and Hodge have known each other since childhood.
“We grew up through grade school together, same school, same junior high school, same high school, grew up a couple kilometres down the road from each other, graduated together,” he said.
Although they each intend to take some time off work, the crew plans to return to their jobs in the new year.
“It’s been a really good group of guys here and it seems to work,” Gould said.
He said the group will continue pooling their money together in hopes of winning the lottery again.
