With only a few more days left in 2022, the prairie provinces saw quite a few very lucky winners who won the lotteries this year.

"2022 saw 72 lottery prizes of $1 million or more awarded to players across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the North. The total value of those prizes was more than $319 million – the second highest ever in the region," The Western Canada Lottery Corporation stated.

Alberta saw $153 million across 49 prizes claimed in the year.  A record LOTTO MAX jackpot run The national LOTTO MAX game saw a huge run this year, with the jackpot on the game growing for a record number of draws between August and October. The jackpot continued to build for 21 draws, and 22 tickets sold in the West won $1 million each.

"One ticket sold in Calgary won $70 million, setting a new record for the biggest lottery prize ever won in Alberta. A million-dollar prize is still outstanding!"

The Calgary winner, Mitchel Dyck said that he doesn’t usually play the lottery, but when a cashier asks if he wants a lottery ticket he doesn’t hesitate to say yes. Calgary’s newest multi-millionaire discovered his win when he asked a cashier to check his tickets at a local store three weeks after the draw on November 7.

“I handed it to the cashier who scanned it; I thought we won $70,000!” he recalled as he claimed his prize. “We tried to count the zeroes, but the numbers flew by quickly," he said. “I already had goosebumps!”

Dyck said he and his family are still adjusting to the idea of having $70 million, and plan to be smart about how they approach the windfall.

"We found a private banker who will help us manage this,” he said. “For right now it’s just going in the bank until we can make some more plans.”

Another very lucky local, Airdronian Kevin MacKenzie won the $7,000,000 daily grand jackpot recently. On November 26, McKenzie bought his $4 daily grand quick-pick ticket from Shoppers Drug Mart in Airdrie at 1 Avenue West. A few days after the draw, MacKenzie checked his tickets while he and his wife were out running errands.

The two returned to the same shop where they had originally bought the ticket, asking the cashier to examine it and verify their win.

“My wife and I looked at each other and said we didn’t think this happened to real people.” He recalled as he claimed his prize. “She was holding on to the counter, and I was just in complete disbelief!”

The new millionaire said he has a couple of ideas for his winnings.

“We’re going to pay off our debt, and then we’d like to help our kids purchase a house,” he said.

McKenzie also mentioned they plan to reschedule a trip to Hawaii for their 25th anniversary that was cancelled because of COVID.

The Airdronian earned his choice of a single payment of $7 million or $1,000 per day for life.

There’s one more 2022 winner out there who may not even know they’re a millionaire! A WESTERN MAX prize worth $1 million was won on the June 21 draw on a ticket sold in Edmonton and hasn’t been claimed yet.

The winning numbers were 22, 27, 32, 35, 40, 45, and 47. The winner has until June 21, 2023, to claim the prize.

Of course, the year isn’t over yet; there are still 13 chances to become a millionaire in 2022.

• Tonight, December 29, the national DAILY GRAND is drawn, with its top prize of $1,000 A Day for Life or a $7 million single payment

• On Friday, December 30, the LOTTO MAX jackpot is estimated at $25 million and the regional WESTERN MAX offers a $2 million jackpot and seven additional chances to win $1 million.