"I ran to show my mom": 29-year-old wins lottery after playing for 11 years

What would you do if you won the lottery? For one Ontario lottery winner, it’s no longer a “what if” question but a happy reality.

Jessica Danis, a Lindsay resident has been an occasional lottery player ever since she turned 18.

“I play a couple times a month,” said the 29-year-old. But during the holidays, she recalls how she had a feeling that she had to buy a lottery ticket.

“It was New Years, and something was telling me to buy this ticket – I was feeling lucky!” said Danis.

And it’s a good thing she listened to that inner voice because when she went home to play her ticket, she was stunned when she realized that she had won big.

Jessica Danis/OLG

“I scanned the ticket on the OLG App and I thought I won $100,” she said. I was so happy – I ran to show my mom and she looked at my phone and told me it was actually $100,000.”

Danis was thrilled when she found out that she won the Instant Crossword top prize worth $100,000.

“I was in disbelief,” said Danis. “I would always have conversations with my best friend about what we would do if we won the lottery, and now it’s actually happened.

While at the OLG Prize Centre to pick up her cheque, she said that she will putting the money away for the future. She’s also planning a trip to Portugal.

“This is an out of body experience,” she said.

Danis purchased her winning ticket at Circle K on Lindsay Street in Lindsay.