CANADA Lottery winner takes his time claiming prize

He won't repair computers anymore.
TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL
TORONTO -- Raymond Sobeski is a patient man.
The 40-something farmer allowed a lottery ticket worth $30 million to sit untouched in a safety deposit box for almost a year, refusing to tell even his mother about his extraordinary good fortune because he didn't want to "do anything rash."
With only 12 days to go before the ticket expired, Sobeski became the winner of the largest single jackpot in Canadian history by coming forward last week with the numbers that matched the Super 7 draw of last April 11.
As cameras flashed, the reserved bachelor from the small community of Princeton, near Brantford, Ont., said the win still feels "surreal."
"Due to the magnitude of it, I just wanted to make sure that I did everything right and try to remain calm about it," said Sobeski, adding that he was more interested in creating a legal and financial plan than gathering interest.
What he did
When he learned he had won he wasn't about to dive headfirst into the good life. He placed the ticket in a safety deposit box and checked the numbers "about 200 times."
Sobeski supplemented his income as a self-employed computer repairman while keeping his windfall a secret.
But he did allow himself some indulgences; he admits maxing out all his credit cards.
The fact that he no longer needs to worry about how he will pay those bills does not mean he intends to say goodbye to agriculture.
Sobeski said he plans to live more comfortably but will continue to work on his farm. The computer business, however, is a thing of the past.
"That's done for sure now," he said, laughing. "I'd much rather be farming."
Last summer, when Sobeski was in a local bank, he overheard a couple discussing the lottery win at the next teller.
Motioning in his direction, the man told his girlfriend, "'This guy could be the winner right here,'" Sobeski said. "I just kind of smirked and walked out."