A man from North York says he can’t believe his luck after he won a $2-million Ontario 49 jackpot.
Javier M. said he was grabbing snacks from a convenience store on St. Clair Avenue West in Toronto’s Corso Italia neighbourhood when he decided to check the lottery tickets in his pocket.
A regular player of Ontario 49, Lotto 6/49, and Lotto Max, Javier said he scanned the winning ticket and, “When I saw all the zeros, my mind started spinning. I thought I was hallucinating,” Javier said in a news release.
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“I kept thinking, ‘There’s no way this is actually happening!’”
The 44-year-old roofer said his first instinct was to call his wife and tell her about the win, but decided to deliver the good news in person.
“I waited until I got home, and let me tell you, that felt like the longest shift of my life,” he recalled with a laugh. “I had this huge secret and could barely contain my excitement. When I finally told my wife, her eyes widened; she was absolutely stunned. We were both so excited and happy. We could hardly believe it!”
“It’s an amazing feeling, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I always had hope that my turn would come, and now that it has, I’m completely shocked. Nothing prepares you for the moment it actually happens.”
Javier said he plans to “pay some bills” with his winnings.
Unlike Lotto 6/49, which is administered nationally through the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, Ontario 49 is organized by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission.
