A Brampton resident who won a $1-million Maxmillions prize in the Dec. 3, Lotto Max draw resorted to meditation to calm himself afterwards.
Sisir Acharya, a father of three who works in logistics, previously won $1,000 with Proline but nothing like this major windfall.
“It was the day after the draw when I decided to check my ticket on the OLG app,” Acharya told OLG.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! I must have scanned it seven or eight times. My stomach was filled with butterflies and my heart was racing. I tried some meditation to calm myself, yet I still couldn’t sleep all night. When I told my wife, there were tears of joy and excitement. We felt a sense of relief knowing that our dream of homeownership was now possible.”
In addition to buying a new home with his lottery win, Acharya plans to share the money with his daughters, and visit the U.S. and Dubai with his wife.
“I will retire early and continue to play the lottery too. If you don’t play, you don’t win,” he told OLG.
The winning ticket was bought at Petro-Canada on Main St. S. in Brampton.
HAMMER GOLD
Gordon Wilkes of Hamilton says his head was spinning after winning a Lotto 6/49 prize worth $1 million in the Gold Ball Draw on Dec. 7.
The financial adviser, who has been an occasional lottery player, is now delighted to be celebrating his first big win.
“It wasn’t until I was in the store and my ticket was validated that I realized I’d won,” Wilkes told OLG. “I was very surprised and immediately, my head started to spin. All I could think was, ‘Oh, wow! What do I do now?’ I shared the incredible news with my sister and friends, and they were thrilled for me.”
“Winning this prize is life-changing,” said Wilkes.
“I’ll finally be able to do some of the things I wasn’t able to before. Vacations to Costa Rica and Cuba are at the top of my list.”
The winning ticket was bought at Big Bee Convenience and Food Mart on King St. E. in Hamilton.
TRENTON COUPLE WINS
Judith (Judy) and David (Dave) Burrows of Trenton are celebrating their “life-changing” $550,000 win with The Bigger Spin instant game.
The married parents of one and grandparents of three have been playing the lottery for about a decade.
“We were at home when I played our ticket,” said Judy to OLG. “I saw that we’d won a Spin prize and was a little confused as to what that meant. Dave and I headed to the store right away to find out what the prize was.”
Judy continued: “When the retailer scanned our ticket and we won a Bigger Spin, I was in shock!”
“Dave was waiting in the truck, so I quickly ran out of the store to get him.”
Added Dave to OLG: “Judy always wins Free Plays and $20 here and there, but when I saw her come out of the store and wave me in, I knew it was going to be good. Immediately after leaving the store, we called our son to tell him about our win. At first, he was leery, asking, ‘Are you sure this is real?’ After recounting our in-store experience, we were able to ease his mind, assuring him that we’d really won what was sure to be a life-changing prize.”
When Judy and Dave had to spin The Bigger Spin wheel they were filled with nervous excitement.
“It’s just awesome,” said Dave.
“What an amazing feeling,” said Judy.
Their future plans are to buy a new barbeque and share some of their winnings with their son.
The winning ticket was bought at Canadian Tire Gas+ on Centre St. N. in Napanee.
BRAMPTON WINNER
Playing the lottery for 20 years finally paid off for Brampton retiree Horace Fisher.
The father of four is $500,000 richer after winning a top prize with Instant $500,000 Fortune.
“I was playing my ticket as usual when I realized I’d won one of the top prizes,” Horace told OLG. “It was an overwhelming moment filled with happiness and excitement. It feels great to have won this prize. I plan to pay some bills, but I’ll take my time before making any big decisions.”
The winning ticket was bought at Shell on Bramalea Rd. in Brampton.