Peterborough Lisa Martini-Dunk has 500,000 more reasons to smile winning $500,000 on MaxMillions in the Oct.15 Lotto Max draw, announced on Thursday.
She was notified by e-mail about her win.
“I logged into my OLG.ca account and thought it said I had won $500,” she said. “Then, I noticed the additional zeros. I felt like I was dreaming and got up to get my glasses so I could see better,” she laughed. “Even then, I didn’t believe it! I asked my family to review the email, and my OLG.ca account. Once we were all convinced the win was real, we were so excited!”
Martini-Dunk has been playing the lottery with OLG for the past few years, with Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 as her preferred games.
“This win feels like freedom. It feels like a gift and a blessing. My heart is full of gratitude,” she said. “I’ll put the rest aside as I figure out my next steps. I may travel and complete some home renovations.”
Ennismore’s Susan Maybury can celebrate after winning the $100,000 top prize Instant Blazing Bounty, announced on Friday.
Maybury has been playing the lottery with OLG for more than 30 years. She enjoys playing LOTTO MAX and LOTTO 6/49, as well as various INSTANT games.
“I was playing my ticket in the store when I realized one of my numbers matched a lucky number. I couldn’t believe it,” said Maybury. “I shouted out, ‘Did I really win?’ My body froze and my hands started to shake. I told my husband and my kids, and oh boy, were they happy to hear of my win!”
Susan plans to save her winnings for the time being.
“Words can’t describe the feeling of winning” she explained. “I couldn’t be any happier.”
The winning ticket was purchased at Causeway Variety on Robinson Road in Ennismore.
Peterborough’s Leslie Mann is $75,000 richer after winning a top prize with Instant Cashboom, announced on Friday.
The truck driver has been playing the lottery with OLG for more than 20 years. He plays weekly and enjoys a variety of games, including Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49 and Instant win tickets.
“I played my ticket while I was still at the store and instantly knew that I had won. I couldn’t believe it. I was so surprised and overwhelmed with emotion,” said Mann. “I shared the good news with my family and everyone-including me-was thrilled.”
With the money, Mann plans to help his family and plan a trip to England or Australia.
The winning ticket was purchased at Brookdale Kwik Mart on Chemong Road in Peterborough.
Arlan Musgrave of Hiawatha is $150,000 richer after after winning big with the THE BIGGER SPIN INSTANT game.
Musgrave has been a weekly lottery player for several years and this was his first big win according to a press release.
“I was at home, sitting in my chair and began to play my ticket,” he said. “I saw that the numbers matched and the prize was a big one. I was definitely excited. I looked at the ticket over and over again to confirm what I was seeing was real.”
Eager to know if he had won big, Musgrave headed to the store to validate his ticket.
“When the clerk checked my ticket, she was so excited for me,” he explained.
When Musgrave’s friend heard the news, she was initially in disbelief.
“She thought it was a prank ticket at first. She was extremely happy for me too,” he said. “After playing for so long, it feels good to have won.”
Dawn and John Shields are Cavan’s newest millionaires after winning LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball Draw on the April 13 draw, announced on Wednesday afternoon.
The married couple have played the lottery together for 20 years. They play weekly each week and always play Encore with their tickets.
The winning ticket remained in John’s wallet for two months before the two discovered the big win.
“I had to check the ticket twice and went straight home to tell Dawn,” said John. “Dawn said, ‘We better triple check it to make sure we are seeing it correctly.’”
“When we told our kids, there was a lot of excitement. They told us they had never been happier for us,” said Dawn. “They are great kids and they shed a few happy tears for us.”
The married couple say they plan to pay some bills, invest and have a nice family dinner to celebrate.
“It feels surreal to win the lottery,” said John.
“It’s everything! One day you’re living your life and then next, everything changes,” said Dawn.
The winning ticket was purchased at Pioneer On the Run on Lansdowne Street.
Apsley’s David Reddick scratched enough words to win the Instant Crossword top prize of $50,000, announced by Ontario Lottery Gaming (OLG) on Monday afternoon.
According to OLG, Instant Crossword odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.88.
The winning ticket was purchased at Hunter’s General Store on Burleigh Street in Apsley.
Doug and Enid Hannon of Lakefield have hit the Lotto Max jackpot and have found themselves $70 million richer announced by Ontario Lottery Gaming (OLG) on Thursday.
The win was from the Feb. 20 draw with their winning ticket purchased at the Kinmount Independent Grocer on Kawartha Lakes County Rd 121.
The couple originally kept their win a secret for several months before telling their friends and family.
Enid purchased the winning ticket on their way to their ‘camp,’ however, Doug discovered the big win the day after the draw.
“I was completely unaware that a winning ticket had been sold in our area. So, when I saw ‘Big Winner’ on the phone screen, I was shaking,” said Doug. “My heart was pounding. I had to stare at it for a while and process all those zeroes. Then I had to check it a few more times."
Doug, who has been retired for a few years, decided not to mention anything to his wife until she got home from work.
“I went to the garage and buried my head in some work while I struggled with disbelief and thought about our next steps,” said Doug.
He waited until dinner time to surprised Enid with the news.
“Doug told me to come into the computer room and the OLG website was on the computer screen, and he told me to check the numbers on ticket,” explained Enid. “When I realized we had won a prize, I first thought it was a $70,000 win. Doug told me to recount all the zeros and that’s when it hit me that we won $70 million!”
The couple decided to keep this multi-million dollar win a secret for a while. They agreed first to get financial and legal advice as they started making some money plans. Not telling anyone was very difficult for Enid as she is very open and expressive with all who know her.
“Keeping this secret was killing me,” she laughed.
A week prior to collecting their winnings, the Lakefield couple told their children and grandchildren about the huge win where everyone was in disbelief and extremely happy for them.
The married couple of 51 years have already made some plans with the money.
“I would like to travel across Canada to experience the beautiful nature of this country from coast to coast,” said Doug.
“I have been dreaming about a new kitchen for years and now I will get it, along with some other improvements to the house because we love where we live and we don’t want to move,” explained Anid.
However, the couple both agree that the number one priority for this money is their family.
“Our family is most important and we want to share this with them. I want to ensure everyone is safe, secure and well taken care of,” said both Doug and Anid.
They also want to share a portion of their winnings with some community causes that are close to them.
“This is truly a blessing for us and our family,” said Enid and Doug. “Like many people, you always hope to win the lottery, but we never dreamt this would happen to us! We are so very thankful.”
Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) concluded its inaugural 50/50 lottery and Owen’s ‘Ruff’le, randomly drawing two winning names from last Wednesday afternoon.
Darlene of Peterborough won the $21,807.50 grand prize from the 50/50 draw while Kathryn Sheridan of Peterborough was the lucky winner from the Owen’s ‘Ruff’le. She walks away with Loll Designs patio chairs, valued at over $1700.
The inaugural PHS 50/50 Lottery ran from March 13 to April 17, raising $34,857.50 for the Peterborough Humane Society's animals in need.
“I continue to be impressed and humbled by our supporters here in Peterborough, across the Kawartha Region, and the entire province for their generous support of what we do”, said Shawn Morey, PHS executive director.
Plans are already underway for the second iteration of the PHS 50/50 Lottery according to a press release.
On what would have been Ambassador Owen the Griff’s 17th birthday, the Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) has launched its inaugural 50/50 lottery, announced on Wednesday.
Owen was popular through his Instagram account and a vital advocate in PHS fundraising throughout his dog life.
The PHS 50/50 Lottery allows participants to win money while providing financial support at PHS’s Animal Care Centre. In addition to the 50/50, the draw features Owen's ‘Ruff’le, a chance to win two patio chairs valued at over $1,700.
“We're incredibly excited to launch our first-ever PHS 50/50 Lottery,” said Shawn Morey, PHS executive director. “It's a fantastic way for our community to come together and make a difference for animals in need while also having the chance to win beautiful patio chairs through Owen’s ‘Ruff’le.”
The draw will occur on April 17 at 1 p.m. PHS’s social media pages and website will update the public on the 50/50 pot throughout the draw. At the time of this article's publication, the pot was $2,220.
Tickets can be purchased online in packages of 25 for $25, 10 for $10, three for $5 or one for $2.