Dwaine Haduik, centre, a farmer from Lashburn, is $1.7M richer after winning the progressive Smoke Signals jackpot at the Gold Horse Casino. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
“I couldn’t believe it happened to me.”
Those were the words of newly-minted millionaire Dwaine Haduik, a farmer from Lashburn whose life changed when he won $1,760,059.18 at the Gold Horse Casino in Lloydminster.
Haduik hit the progressive Smoke Signals jackpot, a Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) signature product that to date, has given away $55M.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Haduik, who’s been farming in Lashburn for 27 years and struck gold on Nov. 2.
After hitting the jackpot, the first phone call Haduik made was to his wife, Cindy.
“She didn’t believe me. I had to send her a picture,” he said. “I believe now; it’s real.”
This was also the first time Haduik had ever won a large sum of money.
A man of few words, when asked what he plans to do with his winning, he was quick to say “keep farmin’ ‘till she’s done.”
When asked that same question, Cindy had a little more to say.
“We’ll probably buy a few toys and go on a holiday,” she said. “When he called to tell me he won, I absolutely did not believe him. Neither of us slept a wink on Wednesday.”
Lionel Tootoosis, senior VP of operations with SIGA, was in town for last week’s cheque presentation and couldn’t be happier to name another millionaire in Saskatchewan.
“It’s an exciting day every day the Smoke Signals goes,” said Tootoosis. “We have 51 machines across SIGA, and it’s a progressive jackpot that’s a mystery progressive that runs from $1M up to $2M and any spin can win.
“It’s a total mystery when it goes; it could go on the next spin or go a few months from now.”
With SIGA being a 100 per cent non-profit charitable organization, Tootoosis explained 50 per cent of the funds go back to the First Nations Trust, which goes back to the 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan, 25 per cent goes to the local community development corporation, and 25 per cent goes back to the province.
“This is our signature product for the company and I’m very happy whenever it goes, it’s quite the event and we like to celebrate it, so we’ve invited Dwaine back for supper tonight and celebrate a bit more. We’re really happy to be here today.”
