Ontario Lottery Winner Says Her Lucky $2M Ticket Was Actually A Gift From Her Partner
Ontario's newest lottery winner never expected that a fun little New Year's tradition with her partner would lead to a life-changing $2 million win.
OLG announced on Friday that Tonicia James, a 29-year-old mother of two from Woodbridge, Ontario, won the Instant $2 Million Extreme Game's top prize.
James and her partner have a tradition of buying each other lottery tickets every New Year's Eve — and this year it paid off in a big way!
Her winning ticket was purchased at a Petro Canada on Jane Street in Concord.
When James first scanned her ticket using the OLG app, she said she was in total shock at the sight of all those zeros.
"I thought I won $2,000, but it turned out to be $2 million! I felt like I was dreaming," Tonicia told OLG.
She quickly visited the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up her big cheque, still in disbelief that her simple New Year's tradition had led to such a huge reward.
Tonicia plans to purchase a new home with her "amazing" new winnings and maybe even take a trip to Cuba.
But James isn't the only winner in Ontario to recently strike it rich. An 18-year-old student from Sault Ste. Marie named Juliette Lamour made history after being the youngest to win the $48 million jackpot earlier this year.
The Instant $2 Million Extreme game is available for $20 with a top prize of $2 million, and the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.16.
If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, refer to these helplines across Canada. Support is available.
