A GROUP of “blessed” workers at an Irish bar in Canada have won a whopping $1 million in the local Lotto.
The syndicate of bar workers won the “life-changing” amount after going in on their first ever ticket.
A total of 15 friends from Foy’s Irish bar in Vancouver are now each close to $67,000 richer after winning the grand prize.
But out of the group, two happen to be an Irish couple with a baby, meaning their family has gotten almost $134,000.
The Irish parents are over the moon as they can now afford to bring their infant son home to Ireland for Christmas for the first time.
It was unlucky for a few members of staff at the bar as some lost out on the Lotto Max prize because they hadn’t paid on time for the ticket.
James Browne, from Wicklow, revealed that the money won will now allow some members of staff to buy a home, while others are planning to return to Ireland to see family.
He said: “This is the first time we ever played together.
“It’s absolutely life-changing. I never, ever thought I’d be able to afford a down payment on a house in Vancouver.
“That’s exactly what it’s going towards. A couple of people in the group, they’re a couple, they have a little baby, it’s a game changer for them as well.
“A lot of staff just weren’t doing well. The city is expensive.”
Part-time kitchen worker Olivia Lyons and her barman partner Conor Quinn share a son, and initially she thought it was a joke when she saw they’d won.
She joked that she was planning to send her son to private school, but instead he’ll finally be visiting family.
Speaking to CBC News in Vancouver, Olivia said: “The first time. Beginner’s luck. We’re going to bring him home for Christmas.”
When it came to those who missed out, she added: “They’re happy for us but they’re obviously disappointed as well.”
Conor said: “Liv rang me and I said, ‘This is insane’. It’s a huge relief. I work two jobs, like a lot of people in here do.”
‘It was crazy’
Bar manager James said he couldn’t believe what was happening when he scanned the ticket and saw he had won.
He said: “I had to check the amount a couple of times.
“I thought it was $1,000 and then I thought it was $10,000 and I started working my way up.
“I got to $100,000 and then I counted the zeros. I went pale.
“It was crazy, a surreal experience. I walked down to the mall to double-check the ticket, as I needed to make sure.
“It just feels like all a dream. It really is a life-changing amount of money to win and I’m delighted for everybody that was involved.”
Improvements
Owner Steven Foy said he is planning to put his share of the winnings towards some improvements in the pub, which only opened 10 months ago.
He said: “People are saying it’s a lucky bar. It’s the luck of the Irish.”
Steven added: “Everybody that won, 13 of them are Irish and two are Canadian.
“The No1 thing that everyone said when they won was, ‘I can’t wait to go home, visit my family’. I’m delighted for them to be able to do that.
“They can take as much [holiday] as they want, they all deserve it. I can’t see them quitting. It’s brought us closer.”