Every now and then, good things really do come to those who least expect it.
Take Laurie Scott from Kingston, Ontario, for instance. She was on vacation, possibly sipping a piña colada by the beach, who's to say, when she managed to score a whopping $22 million Lotto Max jackpot. How's that for a souvenir?
If that wasn't sweet enough, the newly minted millionaire actually won her prize "automatically" thanks to her Lotto Max subscription with OLG, which purchased her ticket for her while she was on vacation.
While collecting her cheque at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto, the Lotto Max winner explained that she had received an email from OLG while travelling, but due to being outside of Ontario, she couldn't log into her account to check what it said. The suspense!
"I contacted OLG to get more information, but I had to log into my account to know for sure. It seemed I’d won the jackpot, but I couldn’t believe it was real until I saw it for myself," she explained.
What did she do next? With the zen of Buddhist monk, Scott simply put the news on the backburner and enjoyed her vacation.
"I had to put the news out of my mind to enjoy the rest of my trip," she admitted.
Once she was back home and had Ontario Wi-Fi back in her life, Laurie finally logged into her account and found out that she had indeed become a millionaire.
"I was shocked and excited as I tried to wrap my head around the amount. I’m glad I didn’t know how much I won while I was on vacation – my thoughts would have been consumed by it!" she gushed.
In true family tradition, she broke the news to her loved ones over a video call, causing quite the stir.
"I told them about my trip, then shared the big news," Laurie said. "They were thrilled for me and told me it was wonderful." Cue the virtual confetti and cheers!
As for what she plans to do with her new fortune? Laurie wants to spruce up her home a little, travel more (maybe she will hit another jackpot on her next vacation—who knows!), and most wholesomely, she plans to donate to charities that are "close to [her] heart."
If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, refer to these helplines across Canada. Support is available.
