Atlinite Steve Murphy won $16.6 million in last Friday's Lotto Max draw, his sister Bev Murphy confirmed today.

In a telephone interview from Atlin shortly after noon, Bev said her brother was at that very moment in the Vancouver office of B.C. Lottery Commission confirming his one-third share of the $50-million jackpot.

"He checked it Sunday afternoon at the store and it told him he had won, so he immediately came to visit me, like all good brothers,” Bev told the Star with a hardy chuckle.

"He was very excited,” she said. "We really did not believe it at first and he showed us.

"Not only did he did he win that, he won a free ticket too.”

Murphy said her fiancé, Shane Coutts, booked flights for three on Sunday evening and her brother, Coutts and another friend were on their way to Whitehorse at 5 a.m. Monday to fly south.

Bev said she's not sure what her 52-year-old brother has in mind for the future.

He is the assistant mine manager for Chieftan Metals' Tulsequah project.

"I think he is still wrapping his head around everything,” she said.

"I know he plans on helping out the assisted living organization here in town.

"Our mother passed away in 2010, and they really helped us out.”

Bev said she's even occasionally stopping what she's doing at work to ask herself if it's all really real.

"This is so surreal,” she said.

"I stop, and I think, and I go, ‘Wow!'”

News of the lottery win started trickling through the community of 450 not long after Murphy checked his numbers.

Two others from Quebec also won $16.6 million.