Canadian says 'boring' retirement just got more exciting with lottery win
For one Canadian, a surprise lottery win has brought a burst of excitement to what was otherwise a quiet retirement.
Mary Hosford lives in Grand Manan, N.B., and after working for the same restaurant for 40 years, she finally retired in 2023. However, she admitted that retirement has been boring at times.
One night, Hosford decided to stay up late to play the Mega Jackpot on Firework Fortune Frenzy, a progressive jackpot Instant Win lottery game available on the Atlantic Lottery website.
“I had been playing the game, but it was getting late, so I decided to hit the button one last time, and the Mega Jackpot came up,” Hosford recalled. “I turned to my husband and said, ‘I think I just won the Mega Jackpot,’ and he said, ‘You’re crazy.'”
Still unsure if she had won, Hosford then called her niece, who had experience winning the lottery.
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“My niece has won before, so I asked her what you have to do if you win, and she said to check my messages on the app because there should be a message there if you did win,” she said. “It was there, and when I saw that I won, I just started shaking.”
Hosford was shocked when she realized that, as a result of her $1 wager online, she had won a Mega Jackpot prize worth $672,491.
“It doesn’t feel real, not at all,” she stated.
Retirement is about to be much more fun, as she said that her winnings will allow her to do more with her free time. Hosford said she wants to use her windfall to buy a new car. She plans to give her current vehicle to her son and help her kids. There are also several trips in her future — she wants to visit family in Western Canada and take a bucket list trip to Nashville. Hosford is also thinking of using her winnings to install a pool in her home.
She said, “I hoped to get a small prize at times, a couple of thousand to have a nice shopping spree or something, but I never imagined I would win a big one.”
All forms of gambling, including the lottery, involve risk and outcomes are based on chance. Individuals are strongly advised to gamble responsibly. If you are experiencing any signs of gambling-related issues, check out these resources.