Surrey father Justin Simporios had a sleepless night after learning he won the record-breaking $80-million jackpot in the Lotto Max draw on May 9.
He scored the largest jackpot prize ever won in B.C., and the largest prize ever won by a single individual in Canada, according to BCLC (British Columbia Lottery Corporation).
Simporios, 35, who was introduced at a news conference Thursday (May 15) in Vancouver, said he can usually fall asleep "anywhere," but not on the night he hit the jackpot.
"It was 10:30 p.m.," he recalled. "I saw that someone won $80 million in Surrey. I was joking and told my wife, 'We're millionaires!' and she told me stop making that joke. After, I manually checked each number before scanning (using the BCLC lottery app). I cried and shouted, 'We're millionaires!'"
A health and safety officer for a logistics company, until he quit this week, Simporios wiped away tears while being introduced by a BCLC rep Thursday.
Giving back to the community in Surrey and B.C. is a key priority for Simporios, who moved to Surrey four years ago, via Montreal and Alberta.
"I've struggled before and needed help. Even if I can give an ounce of happiness, I want to help wherever we can. This feels like a dream."
He bought the winning ticket at a Walmart store at Central City in Surrey, not far from where he lives.
"I will not leave Surrey. Surrey is my lucky city, you know," he said with a laugh.
An avid L.A. Lakers basketball fan, Simporios said he'd like to see the team play before LeBron James retires, and plans to visit family in the Philippines. "My wife and kid have never visited," he said.
Surrey resident, Justin Simporios is the winner of the $80 million lotto max jackpot. @SurreyNowLeader pic.twitter.com/zL2g7lg4aq
— Anna Burns (@AnnaBBurns) May 15, 2025
His seven winning numbers were 6, 10, 16, 17, 30, 38, and 48.
After learning that his numbers were winners, Simporios signed the ticket, took a photo of it, put it a Ziploc bag and hid it under his pillow. "It was with me all the time," he added.
Thursday's introduction event was livestreamed on the Lotto BC Facebook page, where people are congratulating the winner and adding other amusing comments.
"Please be a relative, please be a relative, please be a relative…" posted Laurie Anne on Wednesday.
"Here’s hoping it’s a group of people who won," added Sandra McHeffey.
"I hope that they have fun spreading their fortune and have good health to see the happiness it brings to those (they) share it with," commented Donna de Mooy.
Posted Adam Pilling: "I lived the dream for 2 days refusing to check my ticket... Would I work if I won, would I buy a house, etc... Finally checked the ticket on Monday... $1.00. Yay haha."
Back in March 2010, Lotto Max players Derek and Francis Bird of Guildford won $25 million, which at the time was a record-setting lottery prize win in B.C. Both had been postal workers prior to the monster win, and had recently returned from a cruise to Mexico, where they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Their winning $11 Lotto Max ticket was bought at the Save-On-Foods at 152nd Street and Fraser Highway.
On Father’s Day 2008, Surrey’s Gary Sobolik won $21.9 million in the Lotto 6/49 draw after buying a Quick Dip ticket at the Family Lucky Holdings lottery kiosk outside the Safeway grocery store at Sunshine Hills in North Delta.
In 2012, a legal fight over a $12.6-million lottery win involved two former Surrey business partners, Maria Theresa Linsenmeier (Fehr) and Maria Louise Ganguin, who ran a coffee truck. A B.C. Supreme Court judge said a full-blown trial was necessary to decide if the lotto win should be kept by one of the women, or split in half.
—with files from Tom Zytaruk
