ON Wednesday, BCLC awarded its second-largest seller’s prize ever to a Kamloops lottery retailer who sold the winning $35-million Lotto Max ticket from the June 22 draw.

BCLC Territory Manager Kyleen Horodyski presented Sanjeev Aggerwal, who has been selling lottery products for more than a decade at his family-run Kamloops business, McGoo’s Smokes N Stuff, with $35,000 from BCLC as part of its seller’s prize program.

Designed to engage retailers in the excitement of lottery winners, the program awards retailers who sell a winning ticket with a prize of over $10,000 with a percentage of the prize paid (the percentage varies depending the prize amount).

“I found out I sold the winning lottery ticket and I had goosebumps then and now even,” Aggerwal recalled.

Upon finding out the shocking news, the retailer shared the news with his children and employees, some of whom even attended the celebration to share the excitement with Aggerwal.

Aggerwal, who first started selling lottery products in 2011, said that he plans to gift some of his $35,000 prize to his family members as well as his employees, as sharing his prize with those closest to him is his top priority.

“We all won. If I win, my employees win… we are like a family,” Aggerwal exclaimed with joy.

More than 3,500 lottery retailers sell BCLC lottery products across B.C., including at convenience stores, grocery stores, drug stores, gas stations, pubs and shopping-mall kiosks. Lottery retailers enter into Lottery Retailer Agreements with BCLC that set out roles, responsibilities and compensation, including the seller’s prize program.