‘First thing I thought of was the truck,’ says $44M Saskatchewan lotto winner

A tailgate was thrown in Saskatoon to honour Saskatchewan’s newest multimillionaire, Doug Putland, who won a $44-million lottery jackpot.

Putland won the Aug. 8 Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot, Sask Lotteries announced at Wednesday’s celebration in Saskatoon – more than 140 kilometres from his home in Prince Albert.

Putland bought his ticket in Rosthern, Sask., while en route to cheer on his beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders. Upon confirming that his ticket was the winner after the early-August draw, he said he “dropped the f-bomb and said, ‘holy smokes this is crazy.’”

“The amazing part is the very first thing I thought of was the truck,” he said at his tailgate, adding that his dream vehicle, a GMC Denali Ultimate, is now his.

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Pultand also plans on sharing the money with his family, as well as donating some of it to charity, he said.

“Coming from a very big family, there was 14 of us in the family, and we had nothing. So, it’s kind of overwhelming in a way to know that I can set up my daughters and generations to come,” the winner added.

Putland has three daughters and nine grandchildren.

“They are never, ever going to experience having schooling debts and stuff like that. It gives them a start in life that everybody deserves, and not many get,” he said.

After being handed his $44-million cheque, Putland was also gifted a new, personalized Riders jersey with his surname and an autograph from quarterback Trevor Harris on the back.

“I’m going to wear this to all the games now,” Putland said, adding that he plans on tailgating Roughriders’ games in his new Denali, which came equipped with an incredible sound system.

Putland’s prize is the largest Saskatchewan has seen since 2022, the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) said in a news release, noting that sums as large as $70 million were handed out that year.