An Ontario woman is celebrating twice after discovering that one of the gifts she received on her birthday — an Instant 20X Supreme lottery ticket — won her a life-changing amount of money.
Beverley Dakins of Elliot Lake typically enjoys trying her luck with Instant Bingo and Crossword games once a month.
Little did she know she would win $200,000 on a ticket gifted on her 65th birthday.
The happy winner visited Toronto’s OLG Prize Centre to pick up her cheque and share her story.
“This ticket was a birthday present. I was stunned when I saw I won big!” the payroll worker said. “I instantly called my bestie and said, ‘You need to come see this!’ It’s a very exciting feeling. It’s just unbelievable!”
The lucky lady is now paying off her mortgage and planning to share some of her prize money with her family.
The winning ticket was bought at West River Convenience on River Road in Wasaga Beach.
“This is the best gift I ever got,” Dakins concluded.
While it wasn’t a gift, a free play earned another Ontario woman a massive amount of money.
Liette Ouellette, a retiree living in in Hammond, Ontario, said she only occasionally plays the lottery, and when she does, she buys Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 tickets.
One day, Oullette purchased a Lotto 6/49 ticket. When she checked it, she realized she had won something—not money, but a free-play ticket.
The lotto player checked that ticket using the OLG app on her phone.
“I was shocked to see the Big Winner screen! It was unbelievable,” she recalled. “I said to my husband, ‘I think I won $10,000,’ and when I showed him my phone screen, he said, ‘That’s $1 million!’”
Read more about Oullette’s win here.
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