14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
$5M lottery mystery ends as winner steps forward: ‘Great feeling'
We have a winner.
The mystery behind the unclaimed $5-million Lotto 6/49 prize sold in Woodstock that almost expired has been solved after a Beachville resident checked the winning ticket.
It was April 17 when the Ontario Lottery Gaming Corp. advised players to review their past tickets before the $5-million winner expired on May 4 – news that Connie Christie heard on the radio while running errands, according to an OLG statement published on Wednesday.
'When I heard the details, I turned to my mom and said, 'I have a feeling that's my ticket,'' Christie is quoted as saying.
After dropping off her mother, Christie, a regular lottery player for the past seven years, returned to her home in Beachville – a rural community southwest of Woodstock – and checked her ticket on the OLG app, officials said.
'I saw the 'Big Winner' message and put my phone down to pause for moment,' Christie said, per the OLG statement. 'Then took another look. I managed to stay calm, thinking, 'I did it!' It was a great feeling.'
Christie told officials she typically checks her tickets monthly to see if she's won, but 'sometimes forgets,' and had recently found a 'small stack of tickets she hadn't checked yet.'
The winning ticket was purchased at Petro-Canada on Norwich Avenue in Woodstock.
Christie said she gathered her family to share the 'incredible news' while her family speculated what she wanted to tell them, the statement noted, adding she was smiling and remembering the moment fondly.
'I had the winning numbers pulled up on my laptop when my kids guessed, 'Did you win the lottery?' My answer was, 'Yes, and it's a life-changing prize – $5 million.' We sat there in silence, and I could see the wheels turning in all their heads as I shared proof of my win.'
Christie said her plans for the windfall focus on her family, the statement said, adding she plans to retire and wants her husband to do the same. 'I'd also like to treat my husband to a scenic road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway' in California.
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