Man wins $1 million playing numbers from lottery ticket his dad bought over 15 years ago

A 39-year-old man from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, won a million dollars playing the lottery, and he has his father to thank for it.

Just a week shy of Christmas, Donald (Don) MacMillan matched all seven Encore numbers in the exact order in a Lotto Max draw.

He’s been trying his luck at the lottery since he was 29 and always played numbers from a Super 7 ticket his dad bought many years ago.

Super 7 was a Canadian game that ran between June 1994 and September 2009, so the ticket MacMillan’s father purchased was 15 years old, at the very least.

It may not have been valid anymore, but its numbers still held magic for MacMillan.

The winner visited Toronto’s OLG Prize to collect his fortune and share his story.

MacMillan was sipping coffee at home with his mom one morning when he decided to open the OLG app on his phone and check his ticket.

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“I saw the zeroes, and at first glance, I thought I won $100,000, then I noticed the additional zero,” he said. “I was shaking and vibrating from the shock and disbelief.”

MacMillan immediately told his family — mom, dad, and sister — who were over the moon for the new millionaire. “I’ll never forget that day – it was so heartwarming,” shared MacMillan.

And, of course, he won’t forget them now that he has all this money in his account. The lotto fan hopes to treat them first and invest some of the prize money.

“This win is all about my family. I’m blessed to have them and blessed to have this win,” he said.

The whole experience was “surreal, completely unbelievable, and so cool” for the winner.

“All the possibilities that come with a win like this are so exciting,” he concluded.