Healthcare worker says lottery win came during "a rough time"
Despite the shock of a big win, several lottery players admit that they’ve always imagined what it would be like to be victorious.
Every time she passed by the lottery prize centre, healthcare worker and Woodbridge, Ontario, resident Patricka Ozurus said that she pictured herself winning and picking up her prize. And that daydream would eventually become a reality for the 50-year-old mother of five.
OLG
Ozurus said she enjoys playing Plinko, The Big Spin, Lotto Max, and Lotto 6/49. One day, she purchased a Plinko ticket and won a chip, so she went to the store to watch the animated Chip Drop at the lottery terminal.
“When I landed on Plinko, the cashier kept saying, ‘You won! You won!'” recalled Ozurus. “I didn’t even feel like myself!”
Thrilled, Ozurus immediately called her husband to share the news — she was finally going to get the chance to play Plinko at the OLG Prize Centre.
“He was so excited for me,” she said.
Ozurus wasn’t sure of what to do next, so the cashier suggested, “Play it cool, play it cool. Go to work and just play it cool.”
“So I played it cool until today,” she said while at the prize centre.
OLG
OLG
Standing above the giant Plinko board, Ozurus dropped her chip, landing herself a $100,000 prize.
“This win came when I was going through a rough time. It put some much-needed fun into my life,” she said. “I’ve worked hard for every penny, and now it feels like it’s paid off.”
Patricka Ozurus/OLG
She said she’ll be using the money to pay off her mortgage and manage her finances.
“This news means so much to my family,” said Ozurus. “We’d love to go on a trip to Jamaica.”
On finally making it to the prize centre and claiming her prize, she added, “I’m very happy – it’s a dream come true.”
The winning ticket was purchased at Yorkdale Mart on Dufferin Street in Toronto.