"I got butterflies in my stomach": Lottery winner is heading to Portugal

It sometimes feels like winter in Canada is never going to end, so it should come as no surprise that the first thing a lottery winner would want to do is, well, leave. And that’s exactly what one recent winner plans on doing.

Brenda Hynes is a mother and grandmother who lives in Pontypool, Ontario. The 62-year-old said that she has been playing the lottery on and off for around 40 years.

One day, she decided to purchase a ticket for the March 3, 2023, Lotto Max draw to try her luck at the $14 million jackpot.

While at the store after the draw, Hynes scanned her ticket and couldn’t believe her luck.

Brenda Hynes/OLG

It was a good thing that she opted for the $1 Encore.

Because although she didn’t win the jackpot, she did win a six-figure prize after she matched the last six of seven Encore numbers in exact order.

“I went to the store to check my ticket and the screen said, ‘Big Winner,'” recalled Hynes, while at the OLG Prize Centre to collect her cheque.

“I didn’t know how much I won until OLG called and told me I won $100,000 — I was so shocked! I got butterflies in my stomach.”

She said after finding out about her big win, she went home to tell her husband the big news.

“He couldn’t believe it either,” she said, but eventually, the happy reality sunk in.

“We went for dinner a few nights later to celebrate,” said Hynes.

She said she’ll be saving the rest of her winnings but plans to enjoy some sun by taking a month-long vacation to Portugal.

The winning ticket was purchased at Esso on Highway 35 in Lindsay, Ontario.