"The earth stood still for a minute": 33-year-old father stunned by huge lottery win
The holidays are extra merry for one lottery winner who recently claimed his life-changing winnings.
Paulo Sousa, a father and a resident of Brampton, Ontario, said that he’s a regular lottery player and often chooses Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49.
He had purchased a ticket for the September 30 Lotto Max draw, and afterwards, decided to check his ticket using the OLG App.
The 33-year-old recalls seeing the result and being completely speechless.
“I think I stopped breathing!” he recalled. “The earth stood still for a minute.”
After seeing all the zeros in his winnings, he had to make sure he wasn’t imagining it.
“I had to get my wife to look at it because I was in disbelief,” said Sousa.
Paulo Sousa/OLG
It turns out that Sousa had won the $1 million Maxmillions prize.
“[My wife] was in denial and I was freaking out,” he said.
While at the OLG Prize Centre to claim his winnings, he said that he’ll be using the money to buy a home for his family. He’ll also be investing part of his windfall in his children’s future.
“I’m so grateful and emotional,” he said. “It’s a chance to give my family a great start. It feels amazing.”
The winning ticket was purchased at Petro Pass on Dixie Road in Mississauga.
Follow Channels and Categories