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Hamilton Spectator
23-05-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
‘I want to buy a castle, but my wife won't let me': Newmarket lotto winner overjoyed with $65M windfall
A Newmarket wife was having none of her husband's early morning shenanigans when he recently tried to rouse her from slumber. 'Honey, do you want to kiss a millionaire?' Mark Hanley asked his wife recently. 'She sternly said, 'No,' and tried to go back to sleep.' Hanley was up early that morning, enjoying his breakfast, when he decided to check a Lotto Max ticket from the March 28 draw. He usually checks the lotto numbers one by one on . After realizing he had matched the first three, he started to pay closer attention. Numbers four, five, six and seven also matched. But it didn't dawn on him yet that he'd won. 'I've been playing the lottery for 30 years, and when I counted all seven numbers, I was disappointed that I didn't match the bonus number,' Hanley said in an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. press release. 'Then I realized there are only seven numbers with Lotto Max, and I got the big one! When I saw there was only one winner and the jackpot was $65 million, I started jumping for joy, saying, 'Touchdown!'' That was when he debated waking his wife. 'Is this important enough to wake up my wife, who loves her sleep?' he thought to himself. When his first humorous attempt to wake her failed, Hanley convinced his wife to get out of bed and meet him downstairs so he could show her his winning ticket. 'She looked at the ticket and thought, 'So what …?' So, I told her to go take a shower to fully wake up. When she came back, the reality of this win started to settle in, and she began crying tears of joy.' The retired business software analyst and his wife then decided to tell their grown children the news face to face, but may have left too much to the imagination. 'We called to make sure they were home, and I said to my wife, 'Don't tell them anything — just say we're coming over.'' As his wife made the call, she began crying again. 'She said, 'We're coming to see you … I can't tell you why … but everything's all right,'' Hanley said, but realized it sounded like they'd be delivering bad news. 'Oh good, now they think someone died.' As the couple pulled up to the house to visit their children, Hanley's wife asked if he'd hold her coffee so her hands would be free to give them a hug. 'She started to cry again,' he added. But the kids were happy when they learned the true purpose behind the surprise visit. 'I felt so good to tell them, and it's a dream come true to now be able to provide for them in so many incredible ways.' Hanley had more surprises in mind to spring the news on immediate family members with a portion of his windfall. 'They're probably not going to believe it at first because you don't expect someone to suddenly come out of the blue and give you a gift like this.' Travel is now also on Hanley's itinerary. 'I want to travel the world for its food! I want to go to Italy, and especially France. I love French bread, French wine, and oh my, French cheese!' He also mentioned another aspiration that may be out of reach. 'I want to buy a castle, but my wife won't let me,' he said with a laugh. Hanley honestly said it would take some time before the reality of hitting the Lotto Max jackpot truly sinks in. 'The Lotto Max commercials say, 'Dream Bigger,' but I still haven't quite gotten that in my head. I always dreamt of winning a couple of million, but this amount is just baffling. I just feel so grateful and blessed that this win came my way.' The winning ticket was purchased at New Town Variety on Yonge Street in Newmarket.
Toronto Star
22-05-2025
- General
- Toronto Star
‘Honey, do you want to kiss a millionaire?': Newmarket retiree takes home $65-million Lotto Max jackpot
A retired business software analyst from Newmarket is $65 million richer after taking home the Lotto Max jackpot prize earlier this spring. Mark Hanley was eating breakfast when he realized all seven numbers on his ticket matched the winning digits from the March 28 draw on not immediately realizing the gravity of the match, he recalled in a news release from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. Hanley, who has played the lottery for 30 years before picking up the jackpot winner in Newmarket, said he jumped for joy once he realized — but still weighed whether the multimillion-dollar news warranted waking up his wife, 'who loves her sleep.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ''Honey, do you want to kiss a millionaire?'' he recalled asking her in an effort to surprise her. 'Funny enough, she sternly said, 'No,' and tried to go back to sleep.' Ontario This Ontario woman forgot to check her Lotto 6/49 ticket. Days before it expired, she realized she won $5 million The Beachville, Ont. had a suspicion that an unclaimed jackpot-winning ticket was hers. But once she had fully woken up and understood the win, Hanley's wife cried tears of joy, he said. Hanley and his wife decided to tell their adult children the news face-to-face, he said, adding his wife's tears and insistence that everything is all right over the phone probably made them think someone had died. Hanley's wife asked him to hold her coffee so her hands would be free to hug her their children, he said. It 'felt so good to tell them, and it's a dream come true to now be able to provide for them in so many incredible ways,' Hanley said. Gta 81-year-old man becomes first Order of Canada recipient to win $25 million lottery Charlie Coffey didn't quite believe it when he saw $25 thousand on the Lotto Max ticket reader. He said he hopes to surprise his family with some of his cash windfall: 'They're probably not going to believe it at first because you don't expect someone to suddenly come out of the blue and give you a gift like this.' Hanley said he also wants 'to travel the world for its food,' checking out authentic French bread, wine and cheese — adding he wanted to buy a castle, but his wife turned him down. The next Lotto Max jackpot draw is Friday, with an estimated $40-million payout.
Cision Canada
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Cision Canada
$65 MILLION LOTTO MAX WINNER FROM NEWMARKET TO "RETHINK" HOW TO TELL FAMILY ABOUT LOTTERY WINDFALL
TORONTO, May 22, 2025 /CNW/ - of Newmarket was excited to tell his wife and adult children that he'd hit the LOTTO MAX jackpot and was about to become Ontario's newest multi-millionaire. Mark won the $65 million jackpot prize from the March 28, 2025 LOTTO MAX draw. But his two attempts to break the remarkable news – first to his wife and then to his children – didn't quite land the way he'd hoped. Still, the experience has become a hilarious tale that will live on in the family archives! Mark was up early, enjoying his breakfast, when he decided to check his LOTTO MAX ticket completely unaware of the life-changing surprise that awaited him. He likes to check the winning lottery numbers one by one on After matching three numbers, Mark began to pay closer attention to what he was doing. Then came four…five…and six. Finally, he matched all seven numbers, but didn't grasp exactly what this meant. "I've been playing the lottery for 30 years, and when I counted all seven numbers, I was disappointed that I didn't match the bonus number," Mark recounted during his OLG Winner Celebration in Toronto. "Then I realized there are only seven numbers with LOTTO MAX, and I got the BIG ONE! When I saw there was only one winner and the jackpot was $65 million, I started jumping for joy, saying, 'Touchdown!'" Mark's wife was still sleeping at the time, and he silently debated, "Is this important enough to wake up my wife, who loves her sleep? So, I decided to share the news by saying, 'Honey, do you want to kiss a millionaire?' Funny enough, she sternly said, 'No,' and tried to go back to sleep." Mark convinced his wife to get out of bed and meet him downstairs so he could show her his winning ticket. "She looked at the ticket and thought, 'So what...?' So, I told her to go take a shower to fully wake up. When she came back, the reality of this win started to settle in, and she began crying tears of joy." The retired business software analyst and his wife decided to tell their grown children the astonishing news face to face. "We called to make sure they were home, and I said to my wife, 'Don't tell them anything – just say we're coming over.' When they answered the phone and my wife started to talk, she began crying again. She said, 'We're coming to see you… I can't tell you why… but everything's alright.'" Mark started laughing and said, "Oh good, now they think someone died!" As the couple pulled up to the house to visit their children, Mark's wife turned to him with an important request. "She asked me if I could hold her coffee so her hands would be free to give them a hug and then she started to cry again," Mark smiled. Despite the initial tears from Mark's wife, their children were overcome with emotion when they were finally told the great news. "I felt so good to tell them, and it's a dream come true to now be able to provide for them in so many incredible ways!" Mark also plans to surprise some immediate family members with a portion of his windfall. "They're probably not going to believe it at first because you don't expect someone to suddenly come out of the blue and give you a gift like this." When asked what's on his bucket list, Mark was quick to answer, "I want to travel the world for its food! I want to go to Italy, and especially France. I love French bread, French wine, and… oh my, French cheese!" He also mentioned another aspiration that may be out of reach, despite having $65 million in his bank account. "I want to buy a castle, but wife won't let me," he laughed. Mark concedes it will take some time before the reality of hitting the LOTTO MAX jackpot truly sinks in. "The LOTTO MAX commercials say, 'Dream Bigger,' but I still haven't quite gotten that in my head. I always dreamt of winning a couple of million, but this amount is just baffling! I just feel so grateful and blessed that this win came my way." For the video and photos of Mark's winner celebration and the moment he checks his bank account, please see the link below: Winners Celebration Video and Photos: (Link good for 30 days – no password needed) Link contains: File 1 – Winner Photos File 2 – Winner Video - Broadcast ready version & Winner Video - Web ready version File 3 – Social Posts LOTTO MAX players in Ontario have won over $9 billion since 2009, including 115 jackpot wins and 937 MAXMILLIONS prizes, right across the province. LOTTO MAX is $5 per play and draws take place on Tuesdays and Fridays. Important to know – 100 per cent of OLG's profits are invested in Ontario, so when you play LOTTO MAX, you are playing for Ontario. OLG supports safe play and wants to keep the fun in the game. That's why OLG is proud to be a leader in promoting responsible gambling with our globally recognized PlaySmart program. OLG is a crown agency that contributes to a better Ontario by delivering great entertainment experiences for our customers. Acting in a socially responsible way, OLG conducts and manages land-based gaming facilities; the sale of province-wide lottery games; Internet gaming; and the delivery of bingo and other electronic gaming products at Charitable Gaming Centres. OLG is also helping support the horse racing industry in Ontario. Since 1975, OLG has generated approximately $62 billion for the people and Province of Ontario to support key government priorities like health care; the treatment and prevention of problem gambling; and support for amateur athletes. Each year profits from OLG's operations also support host communities, Ontario First Nations, lottery retailers and local charities across the province.
Global News
08-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
$60-million 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot winner in Ontario purchased ticket online
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation says the winning ticket for the $60-million 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot from Wednesday's draw was purchased online. The lucky winner bought their ticket on for the May 7 draw. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Two Encore tickets, each worth $100,000, were also purchased online. 'That means the winners have already received an email notifying them of their $60 million jackpot or big Encore prize,' the OLG said. The Lotto 6/49 draw is every Wednesday and Saturday, and is $3 per play. 'The Gold Ball Draw guarantees a $1 million prize, or the growing jackpot that starts at $10 million and can exceed $60 million,' the lottery company said.
