Canadian chooses lump sum after $25,000-a-year-for-life lottery win
A lucky Canadian lottery player was faced with a life-changing choice after scoring an impressive win: take steady annual payments or walk away with a massive lump sum.
Lottery player Ralph Miller is a resident of Haliburton, Ont., who has been playing the lottery for three decades. Last year, he decided to switch things up by buying his tickets online so he wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting to check them or having them expire.
During an ordinary day at work, Miller saw that he had received an email over a week before.
“I was on my lunch break and noticed I had an email saying I won big. I completely missed it for 10 days,” he recalled.
However, he thought the email looked rather suspicious.
Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive
“My brain was a little foggy at the time,” said Miller. “I logged into my OLG.ca account right away to make sure it was real and wasn’t some sort of AI-generated phishing email.”
To his shock, the email turned out to be a real email from OLG telling him that he had won. After purchasing a $3 Daily Grand ticket online, he had won the game’s second prize of $25,000 a year for life in the Sept. 18 draw.
When reality finally sank in, Miller excitedly shared the news with coworkers and his sister.
“My sister didn’t believe me at first,” he laughed.
Rather than the $25,000 annual payments, Miller opted for the lump sum. As a result, he’s now $500,000 richer.
While at the OLG Prize Centre, he said that he plans to use his winnings to pay bills and for a down payment for a new house. He’s also looking forward to getting into skiing.
“This amount changes my life,” he said.
The winning ticket was purchased on OLG.ca.
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.