A Fredericton-area man is counting his lucky stars after nearly throwing a half-million-dollar lottery ticket in the trash.
Michael Burley of Island View thought he had a losing Daily Grand ticket when the main draw numbers did not match.
What he did not realize was the Oct. 29 draw offered a bonus draw for the second prize that did match his numbers.
Burley checks his tickets at a retailer once a month, scanning the winners and non-winners to be safe.
He was distracted and thought he had already checked the Daily Grand ticket, but decided to scan it once more just in case.
“I still feel sick that it almost went in the garbage. I can’t get over that,” said Burley. “I feel very relieved now.”
Burley had the option to receive $25,000 a year for life or a lump sum of $500,000, which he chose.
He and his wife plan to visit family in Belgium once the pandemic eases and do some renovations to their home.
