Ontario Lottery Winners Score $1M & Are A Couple Who Have Been Playing For Over 38 Years

The great grandparents plan on seeing "more of the world."

Phyllis and Richard Ellery.

Phyllis and Richard Ellery.

Creator

Ontario lottery winners Phyllis and Richard Ellery may be some of the luckiest great grandparents in Richmond Hill.

The couple has been playing the lottery for over 38 years, according to OLG, and scored a winning ticket for a Maxmillions prize worth $1 million on March 29, 2022, in the Lotto Max draw.

Phyllis told OLG that they are "regular players of Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Max" and always "choose Quick Picks."

Phyllis checked their winning ticket at home but didn't realize they had won at first.

"I double checked it using the OLG App and that’s when I saw we won. I thought it was for much less, until Richard came to have a closer look."

"I thought it was $100,000 and had to look at it closer to notice the additional zero. We were surprised!" said Richard.

Phyllis says their family was "over the moon" when they found out about the pair's good fortune.

Richard and Phyllis plan to share their newfound wealth with their family and travel the world while saving some of their dough "for the future."

"It’s been fun to dream about enjoying this money knowing we’ve won. It's awesome," Richard commented.

"We enjoy traveling, so this win will help us see more of the world," said Phyllis.

The pair aren't the only longtime players to win big in Ontario.

Recently, Robin Duncan of Burlington won $1 million in the March 8, 2022, Lotto Max draw after matching all seven of the Encore numbers in the proper order. Duncan told OLG she had been playing weekly for a decade prior to her big win.

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

  • Brooke Houghton (she/her) was a Toronto-based writer for Narcity Media. Brooke has written for publications such as blogTO, Post City, Vitalize Magazine and more.

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