Anthony Barry is the $7M man: Lottery winner steps forward

For nearly two decadesAnthony Barry played the same numbers for every Lotto 6/49 draw, and on Dec. 10 his persistence paid off.

Barry, from St. John's, was presented with a $7-million cheque from the Atlantic Lottery CorporationTuesday at the Jag Hotel on Water Street.

• $7M Lotto 6/49 ticket sold in St. John's

The former teacher said he checked his ticket on Thursday, after he read that someonein the St. John's area had won the Lotto 6/49 draw.

"I looked at the numbers and I started to recognize those numbers and my heart started to beat and I said, 'I think that I won the jackpot,'" Barry said during his cheque presentation.

"I never thought it could be possible. It's just amazing it's unreal, it feels like it just never happened," he said.

"I played those numbers for years and sometimes I wouldn't get a free ticket,nothing but I'd say, 'I'm going to keep playing them.'"

Barry kept news of his big win close to his chest after he realized his numbers were the winning numbers.

"I told a friend of mine,I said, 'Guess what?' I said, 'I just won the jackpot for 6/49.' I said, 'I can't believe it.' And I was, you know, just literally shaking. I said, 'Oh my God, I can't believe it.' But it was fantastic!"

Barry said he has no immediate plans for the winnings.

"I will continue to play the lottery, and I will continue to play my numbers."

Lawton'sDrugs on Topsail Road, where Barry purchased the ticket, will receive a one per cent seller's prize totalling $70,000.