Ontario Lottery Winner Just Got $22M Richer & Found Out On His Wife's 50th Birthday
“She was wondering why I screamed, so I called her over."
An Ontario Lottery winner gave his wife possibly one of the best surprises a person can get for their 50th birthday.
Garry Myles, a 56-year-old from Oakville, is one of the GTA's newest millionaires after winning a Lotto Max jackpot of $22 million from the draw on January 18, 2022.
The lucky winner found out the good news on the morning of his wife's 50th birthday and says he was "numb with shock," according to OLG.
Myles has been buying lottery tickets for the past 20 years, but he says he has "a tendency to forget to purchase tickets ahead of the draws," and so two years ago, he opted for a lottery ticket subscription.
Myles said he realized this wasn't a regular email when collecting his price at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.
"When I received an email that morning, it looked different than the ones I've received in the past. At first, I thought I won $22 and a Free Play, which I thought was an odd amount to win," said Myles. "Then I looked again, and I thought I saw $22,000. I kept looking at it and counted all the digits – that's when I realized I won the jackpot!"
Myles says he screamed when he realized he won $22 million and showed his wife the email.
"She was wondering why I screamed, so I called her over, showed her the screen and said, 'Happy Birthday!' and in the blink of an eye our lives changed for the better."
Then Myles said they called their kids over to share the news.
“They were astonished – I won’t repeat some of the words that they used,” he laughed.
He said he plans to use his new fortune to pay off his mortgage, share the winnings with his family, and travel the world.
If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, refer to these helplines across Canada. Support is available.