Canadian man retires on his birthday then wins $2m lottery jackpot on same day

Ping Kuen Shum planning trip to China and has already celebrated with meal for family and friends

Ping Kuen Shum won the lottery jackpot on the same day he retired, which was his birthday (British Columbia Lottery Corporation)

When Ping Kuen Shum decided to retire, doing so on his birthday must have seemed the ideal way to ensure his last shift proved a memorable one.

Winning a $2m (£1.2m) lottery jackpot on the same day - having opted to buy a ticket on a whim - perhaps confirmed the momentous nature of 28 April for the Canadian.

In that night's draw his $1 ticket matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, overcoming what the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) said were odds of one in 13,983,816.

After the win was announced this week, Mr Shum said: “It’s unbelievable that all three events happened on the same day.

“I have worked hard for so many years and I’m looking forward to sharing this fortune with my family.”

He celebrated alongside family and friends with a dim sum meal in Vancouver, BCLC said, and plans to travel to China with his winnings.

His winning numbers in the BC/49 draw were 09, 12, 13, 18, 21 and 29, and he bought the ticket at Parker Place Convenience Centre in Richmond.

BCLC said that annually, gambling revenue "contributes more than $1bn to fund important provincial, municipal and charitable programmes".

Earlier this year a lottery winner in Florida walked away with $450m (£332m), though it was not the highest-ever for the state.

A jackpot in 2012 came in at $656m (£484m).