By Juliet Kadzviti

Saskatoon man hits P.A. casino jackpot, rides away a millionaire

May 5, 2016 | 6:00 AM

One Saskatoon man is now a millionaire after hitting the Smoke Signals Jackpot at the Northern Lights Casino in Prince Albert.

The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) presented Paul Smith with $1,314,412.60 on Wednesday, May 4.

Smith said he visited Prince Albert by chance on a motorbike ride last weekend and decided to go and hit the slots.

He said he was shocked when he realized he won.

“When it happened, I was kind of confused, I didn’t really know what was happening. The staff all came up and told me, ‘you won the big one’… I was so flabbergasted when they congratulated me,” he said.

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He called his wife, Laurie to tell her the good news and although she didn’t initially believe him, she was really excited to hear he had won.

For Smith, elation only kicked in on his way back home.

“I wasn’t really excited until I got half way back to Saskatoon on my bike. I had to pull over, turn off the bike, look around to make sure there were no farmers around and I just ‘yeah’ (let out a scream), it was a pretty good feeling,” he said, animatedly.

Smith said he hasn’t splurged on much so far, as he plans to pay off his debts and invest the rest of the money.

“I just bought a new vehicle but the rest is going in the bank. I gotta see a financial advisor…I want to make (the money) last,” he said.

Smith has been working as a city transit driver for nine years, but he is now planning to retire “as soon as the money is in the bank.”

jkadzviti@panow.com

Twitter: @julietkadzviti