A Revelstoke woman says “it still hasn’t sunk in” after winning a $1.245 million jackpot from a slot machine at a Salmon Arm casino.

Patricia Dillman said she was not planning to gamble when she visited a Salmon Arm Casino on Thursday, June 13. She said she was passing through Salmon Arm on the way to pick up a friend from the airport, but decided to stop at the casino for a meal when she learned the flight was delayed.

Dillman won the jackpot of $1,245,154.16 from an IGT Powerbucks Cleopatra grand slot machine.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “It still hasn’t sunk in. I never even made it to the restaurant that night to eat because I was so excited.”

Dillman said her daughters didn’t believe her at first when she told them the news.

“We have a family group chat, and I posted a photo of the amount,” she said. “They responded thinking that I was messing with them and that I edited the photo. They couldn’t believe it!”

When Dillman continued on to the airport to pick up her friend, she thanked him for the flight delay.

“I told him, ‘Thank you so much for your flight delay, because I ended up going to the casino and won over a million dollars,’” she said. “I gifted him a small portion of my prize to say thank you.”

After winning the jackpot, Dillman said she is planning to relocate to Salmon Arm and is looking forward to an early retirement. She is also considering a vacation in Mexico.

“This win is definitely life-changing,” she said.