Watford, Ont., couple celebrates ‘crazy’ $300K lottery win

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Donna and Mark Thomson of Watford, Ont.. are celebrating now that they have just over $300,000 for their retirement after winning a Lotto Max second prize in the May 6 draw.

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Donna, a personal support worker, and Mark, a truck driver, have been playing the lottery together for decades and like to pick up their Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 tickets weekly.

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The parents of two and grandparents of two prefer to choose their own numbers based on special family birthdays and anniversaries and took home $303,148.80 as a result.

“When Mark told me we’d won over $300,000, I was in total shock!” added Donna to OLG.

“At first, we didn’t think it was real. We thought there had been an error with the machine,” said Mark.  “My initial reaction was, ‘This is crazy! We have to tell the kids.’”

Eager to share their joy, the couple broke the wonderful news to their children.

“They were so surprised and beyond thrilled for us,” said Mark.

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The couple plans to share their winnings with their children and save for a comfortable retirement.

“We work hard and work a lot, so this win is a really nice blessing. It gives us a hopeful feeling for the future,” said Donna.

“This win is just unbelievable,” Mark continued. “It still hasn’t fully sunk in, but we couldn’t be happier.”

The winning ticket was bought at a Circle K on Nauvoo Rd. in Watford.

HAMILTONIAN WINS BIG

Jose Martinho of Hamilton matched the last six of seven Encore numbers in exact order in the June 13 Lotto Max draw to win $100,000.

The 62-year-old construction supervisor has been a regular lottery player with OLG for many years and always makes a point of checking his tickets the day after each draw.

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“The day after the draw, I scanned my ticket on the OLG app while I was sitting in my car,” Martinho told OLG.

“At first, I thought I’d won $100, but when I finally realized it was $100,000, I was shocked!”

The first person Martinho told was his wife.

“When I got home, I walked up to my wife and said, ‘I just won $100,000!’ She was shocked too, but she asked if I was sure it was $100,000,” he told OLG.

Later on, he told his children and they were excited by the unexpected news.

Martinho would like to use a portion of his winnings to enjoy a well-deserved vacation and also plans to set some money aside for his retirement.

The winning ticket was bought at Big Bee Convenience on Mall Rd. in Hamilton.

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