N.B. lotto winner decides against lump sum — opts for $1,000 a week for next 25 years
Barbara Nelson of Saint John, N.B., has worked at the same chain restaurant for many years. Most mornings, she picks up a Scratch'N Win lottery ticket on her way in and plays it in the break room before her shift.
That simple routine just changed her life, with Nelson winning the top prize with her Set for Life ticket. The jackpot comes with a choice: lump-sum payout of $675,000 or $1,000 a week for the next 25 years. The New Brunswicker decided to go with the latter, and now, she's ready to hang up her apron and head into early retirement.
'With the way the economy has been going, I didn't figure I would get to retire early, or retire at all,' Nelson said. 'This says, 'Yes, you can.''
Nelson chose the annuity, giving her a reliable income stream for the next two and a half decades. That $1,000-a-week payout also adds up to $1.3 million — almost double the lump sum.
With summer just around the corner, Nelson says she's especially looking forward to reclaiming her weekends, something she rarely had off while working.
'All the things that go on through the summer all happen on the weekends and I was always working the weekends,' Nelson said.
'Now I can do what I want and figure out what that is, instead of trying to pay bills. I can enjoy the summer.'
She purchased her winning ticket at the Esso Proxi Church in Saint John. Her prize marks the seventh and final top prize awarded in the 4091 series of the game.
For Nelson, that top-prize means one thing: retirement and freedom to enjoy life on her own terms.
'I like the Set for Life prize, that's why I get that ticket,' she said. 'Now I'm just going to sit back and see where it leads me and let what comes, come.'
If you're looking to take a break from gambling, self-exclusion programs can be effective tools. See here for resources that are available across Canada.
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