B.C. winner of record $80M lottery jackpot quits job, vows to give back to community

VANCOUVER — The winner of what the B.C. Lottery Corp. says is the biggest jackpot ever awarded to a single person in Canada says the $80 million prize is “life-changing.”

Justin Simporios from Surrey, B.C., says his priority is to give back to the community, pay off his sister’s medical school debt and help his mother retire early.

Simporios, who fought back tears of joy at a news conference on Thursday, says he has already resigned from his job at a logistics company and is thinking about buying a “dream home” in Metro Vancouver as his first purchase.

The B.C. Lottery Corp. says it’s the largest jackpot ever won in the province, as well as the largest individual win in Canada.

Simporios, who is married and has a daughter, says he found out he had won the May 9 lottery draw at about 10:30 p.m. that evening, when he heard the prize-winning ticket had been sold in Surrey.

He says he joked with his wife that the family had become millionaires before checking his ticket and realizing he had indeed won.

Simporios says his wife was “a bit mad” for waking up their sick daughter when he learned he had won.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.

The Canadian Press