Retired transportation worker just wants to see grandkids enjoy his lottery prize

Lottery player Luciano Ricci has incredible luck, but so do his grandchildren.

On November 1, Ricci won a Lotto 6/49 second prize worth $102,894.50, and he wants to share it with his grandkids and “enjoy watching them enjoy themselves.”

The Newmarket, Ontario, resident has been playing the lotto since the synth-pop-filled days of the 1980’s. “I always replay the same tickets at the same store and choose my own numbers,” he shared. This time, he’d bought his lucky ticket at a Shoppers Drug Mart location.

Ricci visited the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up his windfall and share the lottery experience that left him stunned.

“When I saw ‘Big Winner’ appear on the screen, I couldn’t see what I won, so I handed it to the store clerk,” he recounted. “Next thing I knew, the lottery terminal was shutting down, and I had no clue what was happening or what I had won!”

The retired transportation worker immediately shared news of the win with his wife.

“I told her I want to buy a new electric car,” he said, smiling. “I was surprised at first, and I didn’t believe it. Once I realized it was real, I haven’t stopped smiling.”

But as a doting grandfather, seeing his grandchildren enjoy the fruits of his luck is what truly makes him beam.

“I’ve had some wonderful moments of joy and laughter from this experience,” he concluded.

Another recent Ontario-based lottery winner is IT worker Sai Ram Reddy Gangula, who bagged $250,000.

“I played my ticket at the store and was shocked when I realized I won the top prize. It was unbelievable,” he shared. “I even woke up in the middle of the night to check the ticket again and make sure it wasn’t a dream!”

Gangula wants to spend his prize money on creating more jobs for people just starting out in Canada.