Staff at Irish bar in Vancouver share $1M lottery prize

Workers at an Irish bar in East Vancouver are cheering their good luck after winning $1 million in Friday's Lotto Max draw.

Last week, 15 colleagues at Foy's Irish Bar pooled money together for the first time to buy lottery tickets. One of the tickets was a big winner, garnering each person close to $67,000. 

James Browne, the bar's general manager who coordinated the lottery purchase, bought the winning ticket at a Circle K convenience store at Davie and Bidwell streets. He told CBC News that he found out about the prize on Saturday, calling it a "surreal" experience for him and his colleagues. 

"It just feels like all a dream," Browne said. "It really is a life-changing amount of money to win and I'm delighted for everybody that was involved." 

Browne said he's going to save his part of the money for a house. 

Bar owner Steven Foy said he is putting his share toward ongoing renovations inside the venue, which opened 10 months ago. He said this wasn't the first time he got lucky, having won money from several sports bets, some of which went toward funding the bar. 

"That's why people are saying it's a lucky bar," Foy said. "It's the luck of the Irish."

WATCH | Staff at Foy's Irish pub in Vancouver react to their $1 million lottery prize:

Luck favours Vancouver Irish pub staff in big lottery win

3 months ago

Duration 2:28

Workers at an Irish pub in East Vancouver are cheering their good luck after pooling their money for lotto tickets and winning $1 million in Friday's Lotto Max draw, giving each person close to $67,000.

Foy said many in the group are looking forward to using the money to visit family in Ireland.

"Everybody that won, 13 of them are Irish and two are Canadian," he said. "The No. 1 thing that everyone said when they won was, 'I can't wait to go home, visit my family,' so I'm delighted for them to be able to do that."

The group celebrated at Foy's Irish Bar following the win and another celebration is in the works. 

Both Browne and Foy added that they are not too worried that their staff will quit after cashing in on their slice of the prize.

"They can take as much [holiday] as they want, they all deserve it," Browne said. "I can't see them quitting because ... it's brought us closer." 

Lottery players in the province have redeemed more than $98 million from Lotto Max so far this year, the B.C. Lottery Corporation said in a Wednesday press release. Lotto Max is a nationwide lottery game drawn on Tuesdays and Fridays after 7:30 p.m PT.