Vancouver Island man wins big on Lotto 649, and is planning to put it towards his love of cars

Vancouver Island man wins big on Lotto 649, and is planning to put it towards his love of cars

Lottery24 - Lotto 649 winner will buy a sport carWith a self-confessed obsession with cars, a man from Port Alberni in Vancouver Island is delighted to win $1 million on the Lotto 649, so that he can buy a sports car.Richard Zoet, a Vancouver Island native, won the $1 million prize on the Lotto 649 drawing on June 7th, and told lottery officials that he is “feeling happy” thanks to his big win. He purchased his winning ticket at the A-1 convenience store in Port Alberni, and said that he plans to use his winnings to buy himself a new sports car, and a vehicle for his mom. A Mega Millions jackpot winner also planned to buy a new car, this one an electric vehicle.Other lottery winners from Vancouver Island include a Lotto 649 jackpot winner from Victoria, and three friends who shared a big Lotto 649 prize. The lottery winner admitted that there was a period in his life when he was “obsessed with cars”, something that has come to light even more since his win was announced, as it was revealed that he was previously convicted for stealing in excess of 30 cars. The car fanatic was found guilty in 2011 of stealing 35 cars from the head of the West Coast Trail between 2010 and 2011, leaving tourists without a way to get home.Having been caught on Royal Canadian Mounted Police surveillance cameras, Mr Zoet admitted to stealing the cars and driving them around at night, instead of any of the six cars that he owned. The now Lotto 649 winner was sentenced to 20 months in jail. This isn’t the first time a lottery winner has been in court – an Irish EuroMillions winner recently won in court over a road collision dispute, and another EuroMillions winner received several driving convictions after his win, and his purchase of a brand-new Ferrari.Now, however, one of the victims of his car theft is calling for Mr Zoet to pay some of his Lotto 649 winnings back to his victims, since none of them received restitution after the court case. Mr Zoet does not agree, however, and said that his Lotto 649 win is his chance for a new start, as the whole experience put him into bankruptcy, having just got back on his feet at the end of May.Make plans for your lottery windfall and purchase your tickets online at Lottery24.com.