Lotto 6/49: Manitoba lottery winner to pay off his ex-wife’s mortgage with record-breaking $46M prize

A Manitoba lottery winner who “just about fell over” after finding out he won $46 million already knows one of the first things he wants to do with the money: pay off his ex-wife’s mortgage. Earl Giesbrecht, of Whitemouth, Man., won the May 16, 2026 Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Jackpot, taking home a life-changing $46 million prize. The win is the largest Lotto 6/49 prize in Manitoba history and a record-breaking Gold Ball draw win for the province.

“I want to buy a house, and then I’m going to help my children,” he said, while claiming his prize with the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC).

“I’m also going to pay my ex-wife’s mortgage off. We were together many years and we still talk.”

It is a major turn of events for Giesbrecht, who said he is currently semi-retired and now may be ready to retire fully. But before he could start thinking about houses, family or retirement, he had to realize just how much money he had actually won.

The Whitemouth local said he had seen that someone in Manitoba had won the Lotto 6/49 jackpot, so he brought his ticket to the store to check it. 

“I didn’t know I won, but I did see that someone in Manitoba had so I wanted to check my ticket,” he said.

At first, the size of the prize did not sink in.

“I thought it was $46 thousand at first!” he said. “When I started counting the zeroes, the cashier said, ‘It’s actually $46 million,’ and I just about fell over!”

The shock of winning Manitoba’s record-breaking jackpot hit him hard enough that he did not feel ready to leave the store on his own.

“I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” he said. “I had to call my brother just to come and sit with me in the store. I didn’t think I could even drive myself home!”

Giesbrecht’s win did not stay quiet for long. Whitemouth is a small community, with a population of 1,630 according to the 2021 census, and he said news of his jackpot spread quickly.

“I think the whole town already knows I’ve won,” he said. “News spreads fast!”

The $46 million prize is now the largest Lotto 6/49 win ever recorded in Manitoba. The province’s second-largest Lotto 6/49 win came almost exactly five years earlier, when a Manitoban won $27.5 million in the May 12, 2021 draw.

Now that the news is out, Giesbrecht said he is still figuring out what life with the prize will look like. He has already spoken with his bank about managing most of the money, but he admitted that planning around a $46 million jackpot is not something he is used to.

“I don’t have many big plans because I’ve never had money like this,” he admitted. “It feels fantastic though — it’s unbelievable! I’m giddy!”

One plan that may be getting closer is full retirement.

“I’m currently semi-retired,” he continued. “And now I’m thinking about maybe becoming fully retired… we’ll see!”

Giesbrecht purchased his winning Lotto 6/49 ticket from First Stop Grocers at 115 Railway Avenue in Whitemouth. He won his prize on the May 16 Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball draw with the selection 24182524-02, the gold ball.

Lotto 6/49 is drawn every Wednesday and Saturday and offers two chances to win with each play. The Classic Draw features a fixed $5 million jackpot, while the Gold Ball Draw guarantees a winner every draw, with a jackpot that starts at $10 million and can grow beyond $60 million.

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