“My family thought I was pranking them!”: Longtime lottery player celebrates win
A healthcare worker’s family thought he was pranking them when he told them about his $100,000 lottery win last month.
Francisco Smith of Windsor, Ontario, has been playing the lottery for over two decades. “I always say yes to Encore,” he told the folks at OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.
Well, it paid off in this particular Lotto 6/49 draw. “This was a free play that I added Encore to,” he shared when he went to pick up his winnings.
In the April 5 draw, good luck struck big time and he won a major prize. So major, in fact, that his family refused to believe him and thought he was kidding around.
“I thought, ‘Wow, that’s $100,000.’ Then went up to bed to tell my wife who was sleeping. She said, ‘Ok’ and went back to bed. The next morning, I told her I really did win, and she said, ‘Ok’ and went to work,” Smith shared, laughing. “My whole family thought I was pranking them!” he added.
Many lottery players start hyperventilating, crying, or screaming when they find out they’ve won. Some are in such shock and disbelief they think they’re being scammed.
Not Smith, though. He’s been calm, collected, and cool as a cucumber throughout the experience.
“I never questioned if it was real. I’m a humble guy,” the grandfather said.
A big win like this brings with it a lot of plans. For Smith, his first priority is investments, but he’s not going to skimp on more fun things. “I’m going to celebrate my birthday with my wife and go out for a nice dinner with my family,” he said.
What would you do if you found out you’d won $100,000?
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