When Steve Murphy checked his $16-million winning Lotto Max ticket last Sunday at Atlin, B.C.'s Food Basket, he first used the check-a-ticket machine on the wall.

When it flashed up more numbers than he was used to – way, way more – he took the ticket to the cashier for further verification.

And there is was.

"I thought it was only about $16,000 at first,” Murphy recalled in an interview Tuesday afternoon from the Vancouver office of the B.C. Lottery Corp. (B.C.L.C.).

"There was a lot of sixes in there. It was quite an ominous little ticket.

"Sixteen million, six hundred and sixty-six thousand and six hundred and sixty-six dollars,” Murphy said of how he watched the numbers roll out as Food Basket clerk Leah Neilson ran the ticket through the main terminal at her cash register.

"She said, ‘Holy ---- Steve!' and I was basically saying the same thing, and I was obviously counting those sixes.”

As is B.C.L.C. policy with winning tickets over of $10,000, the Food Basket terminal immediately locked up, requiring Neilson to phone in to the corporation directly for a preliminary verification.

"They asked me for the number on the ticket, and they said, ‘Oh yes, you have a winning ticket – congratulations.'

"It's almost surreal, is this really happening,” he said, adding he had just finished having his picture taken with the large ceremonial cheque that all the big winners have their picture taken with.

"I have to come back at 3:30 to get the little cheque, the one that matters, and then I'm going straight to the bank.”

But he does plan on keeping the big one too.

"I'll be mounting that somewhere.”

Murphy's $16.6-million jackpot represents a third of the $50-million prize for last Friday's draw. Two residents of Quebec won the other two-thirds.

The assistant mine manager at the Tulsequah Chief mine project said he'll likely be retiring, but what the future has in store beyond a little travel he's not sure.

He'll probably buy or build his own house in Atlin.

As well, it's a given the community's assisted living organization will receive assistance, as it was very helpful to the Murphy family when his mom passed away in 2010, he said.

"I'm going to help out the rec-centre,” said Murphy, who was born and raised in Whitehorse and started living in Atlin on and off back in the mid-1970s until moving there permanently about seven years ago.

"I am just going to help out where I can, the curling rink, and stuff like that.”

After confirming his win by phone, Murphy went to tell his sister Bev and her fiancé, Shane Coutts.

Not long afterwards, Coutts was on the phone booking Monday morning flights out of Whitehorse for him, Murphy and their friend Skip Hale.

Murphy said he wanted some company for the trip, so he asked his buddies to come along.

He's already taken them out for a few drinks in the big city.

Murphy said he plans to look up a financial advisor when he returns to Whitehorse.

When are you returning, Steve?

"I'm really not quite sure yet.”