Lotto 6/49 Winner In Ontario Bought His $2.5M Ticket After Getting Stuck At Pearson Airport

An unlucky situation ended with quite the turnaround for one Ontario lottery winner who scored a major Lotto 6/49 jackpot from a ticket he bought while stuck at Pearson Airport during a snowstorm in Toronto.

Jerry Carpenter of Terrace Bay, Ontario won $2.5 million and become the latest Lotto 6/49 winner in Ontario after the draw on December 28, 2022.

"We were returning from a family trip in Punta Cana and ended up stuck in Toronto due to a snowstorm, so I decided to pick up some tickets to kill some time," Jerry told OLG officials at the prize centre in Toronto. "I shoved them in my bag and forgot about them."

Plenty of time went by before he found the tickets and discovered just how lucky he was to have his flight cancelled at Toronto Pearson that day.

"A month later, I was looking for my daughter’s passport when I came across my tickets," Jerry explained. "I checked them on the OLG App and was so shocked to discover my win! My wife said she felt numb."

He described the entire experience as a roller coaster ride.

"We went from getting stuck in Toronto because of our cancelled flights to winning $2.5 million," he said.

Jerry said until his win, he had been playing the lottery for five years. The 51-year-old engineer told OLG he plans to use his winnings to save up for retirement, set up an education fund for his kids, and to travel the world.

"I would love to take a train around Europe with my wife and kids," he said. "And it was always my dream to own a sailboat."

Jerry's $2.5 million jackpot was shared with another ticket in Ontario. His ticket was purchased at a Husky Truck Stop on Kennedy Road in Mississauga.

If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, refer to these helplines across Canada. Support is available.