Ticket trumps tattoo in $30M lotto win

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Darrell and Laurie Szczerba of Calgary won the $30 million prize for the February 15th LOTTO MAX draw. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ho

A $30-million Lotto Max win was enough for a Calgary man to cancel his tattoo appointment.

But Darrell Szczerba (SHUR'-bah) couldn't share the news with his wife, Laurie, right away because she was getting her nails done.

Szczerba says he was waiting to be inked last Saturday when he went to a convenience store across the street to check the couple's Feb. 15 ticket.

It turned out he had won the largest lottery jackpot in Calgary's history.

He tried to call his wife, but she was having a manicure and had turned off her phone's ringer, so she didn't find out until she got home.

Now that they've had time to think about it, they plan to retire and take a trip somewhere warm.

Darrell is also thinking about buying a limited edition truck to match the motorcycle he already owns.

The Szczerbas picked up their cheque at the Western Canada Lottery Corp.'s office in St. Albert, Alta., on Friday and Darrell recalled the moments after the store clerk confirmed he had won.

"My first thought was, I've got to drive home," he said. "I went back across the street and cancelled my appointment."

"I couldn't sit there with a winning ticket in my pocket."

When his wife finally walked through the door at home, he immediately blurted out the news.

"I dropped the bags in my hand and they didn't get picked up until the next day," Laurie laughed. "The way he said it, I knew it was true."