After discovering their tickets matched the winning numbers for a six-figure prize, three lottery players couldn’t believe their luck.
All eyes were on the $70 million jackpot during the Lotto Max draw that took place on May 24. The winning numbers were 01, 06, 09, 11, 31, 39, 50, and bonus 35.
Although no one won the main prize, two tickets did come pretty close after matching six of the seven winning numbers and the bonus number. As a result, both tickets will split the second prize, with each winning ticket worth $151,350.10.
According to PlayNow, those winning tickets were both sold in Ontario. Here’s how these lottery players discovered that they won.
“I thought we had won $151”
OLG
London, Ontario, residents Shawn Reid and Jason Andrews are coworkers in the manufacturing industry. They’ve tried their luck in the lottery for the past decade together.
Reid recalls the moment when he discovered that they had won.
“I was at my mom’s for dinner when I checked my account on the OLG app. I thought we had won $151,” said Reid. “My girlfriend said, ‘No, you won $151,000!’ I called Jason right away and asked, ‘Are you sitting down?’”
Their winning ticket, purchased on OLG.ca, was one of two sold in Ontario that matched the winning numbers for the second prize during the May 24 draw. The pair won $151,350.10.
When Andrews got the news, he recalled, “It took a minute for it to sink in. Everyone was so happy for us. Shawn’s mom kept saying, ‘I’ve never known anyone who’s won the lottery.’”
Split evenly, they’ll each receive $75,675.05.
While at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim their cheque, Reid said he’d use his money to buy a new vehicle and pay some bills, while Andrews would invest his share and use it to pay off his mortgage.
“It feels great!” said Reid. “Someone has to win, and you can’t win if you don’t play.”
“We drove home in silence”
Gurleen Puri (OLG)
Brampton, Ontario, resident Gurleen Puri isn’t much of a lottery player. When she saw her husband buying lottery tickets, she thought she’d try her luck too. Puri, who works in the retail industry, would ask if “a regular person” like herself ever won the lottery.
She eventually got her answer after the May 24 Lotto Max draw.
“I was at the mall with my husband when he checked my ticket for me. When I came out of a store, I saw the look on his face, and he told me to come see for myself,” she said. “When I saw the ‘Big Winner’ screen, I was shocked!”
Puri split the second prize with Shawn Reid and Jason Andrews, netting herself $151,350.10.
“We were so surprised; we drove home in silence and needed a nap to recover,” she said, laughing. “I always used to wonder what it was like to win when I would see winners in the news. I would wonder if they were regular people like me. Now it is me! I am so thankful and happy.”
While at the OLG Prize Centre to pick up her winnings, Puri shared what she plans to do with her half of the prize.
“I want to treat my niece to something special and celebrate this win with my husband by taking a vacation together,” she said. “It is because of him I have this prize.”
Puri’s winning ticket was purchased at Esso on Remembrance Road in Brampton.
All forms of gambling, including the lottery, involve risk and outcomes are based on chance. Individuals are strongly advised to gamble responsibly. If you are experiencing any signs of gambling-related issues, you can find resources here.