37-year-old to put lottery win towards investments and a European adventure

Adam Stesco is planning the ultimate European trip after winning the lottery.

Stesco, who lives in Aurora, Ontario, started playing the lottery regularly two years ago. The 37-year-old said that whenever he buys a ticket, he always makes sure to add Encore.

Still, when he pulled up the app to scan his ticket, he was not prepared for the results.

“When I checked my ticket on the OLG App I saw ‘Congratulations – Big Winner,'” he recalled. “I never saw that before, so I restarted my phone to check again.”

It wasn’t until the fourth or fifth time scanning his ticket that realization dawned: he had actually won the lottery. Saying “yes” to Encore paid off because he matched the last six of seven numbers in the exact order in the October 14 draw, netting him a windfall of $100,000.

Adam Stesco/OLG

Stesco immediately called his family to share the news.

“Everyone was so shocked and happy for me,” he said.

While at the OLG Prize Centre to pick up his cheque, he shared his plans for his winnings: he’ll be using the money to pay some bills and put some towards investments. But apart from smart money decisions, he does want to treat himself to a European adventure.

“It almost feels like I am floating on air,” he said. “It’s a rush – this whole experience is very special. It’s hard to explain.”The winning ticket was purchased at Wellington Mini Mart on Wellington Street in Aurora.