Painter buys a lottery ticket after night shift, stunned by multimillion-dollar win

A quiet evening after a late-night shift turned into a memorable one for an Ontario lottery player.

Peter Baxted, 56, lives in London where he works as a painter. An occasional lottery player since he turned 18 years old, Baxted said that he plays the lottery for fun.

“I like playing Instant tickets for the entertainment value,” he said.

He remembers wrapping up a late-night shift when he decided to make a quick stop at the Circle K on Hamilton Road. While there, he purchased a ticket and opted for the Instant Prestige.

“I stopped at the store on my way home from a night shift when I bought this ticket,” he recalled. “I played it at the store and saw it was a winner right away — I was shocked! I just wanted to run home and tell my wife that our dream came true. I had tears of joy for sure.”

Peter Baxted/OLG

Baxted couldn’t believe that he had just won a massive Instant Prestige jackpot worth $3 million.

He said he was so excited that he woke his wife when he burst through the door wanting to share the news.

“She was shocked and, after seeing my reaction, wondered what was wrong,” said Baxted. “Then she was overjoyed and crying happy tears.”

While at the OLG Prize Centre to pick up his cheque, he shared his plans for his life-changing windfall: he’s now house-hunting for a new place for his family.

“I also want to share some of this win with my children and invest for our future,” he said.

But, of course, he’ll also be treating himself and plans to buy a new vehicle.

“And I’ve always wanted the new Dodge Challenger — so now I can treat myself to that,” said Baxted. “I feel so humbled by this incredible win.”