Man thrilled with $500k lottery win until he realized it was a much bigger prize

An Ontario man was so startled to learn that he had won the lottery that he didn’t realize he had in fact won a far bigger jackpot.

Brampton resident Shanmugalingam Kanagaratnam said that he plays the lottery every week, opting for his favourite games Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49. When he checked his ticket, the result made him pause: he had won $500,000. Or so he thought.

“When I scanned my ticket the day after the draw, I could have sworn I saw a $500,000 win, and I was very happy about that,” said the 56-year-old father of two.

But it wasn’t until he had his ticket validated that he realized he had won a much bigger prize.

Shanmugalingam Kanagaratnam/OLG

Kanagaratnam learned that he had won a Maxmillions prize worth $1 million in the October 21, 2022, Lotto Max draw.

“When I went to the store to have the ticket validated and I saw $1 million, I was shocked!” he recalled. “My son was with me, and we were both so excited. We started talking about all the things we could do with this money.”

While at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim his prize, Kanagaratnam shared his plans: he’ll be using his windfall to buy a home for his family.

“I am so excited,” he said. “I can’t wait to count all the zeroes on this cheque! My future will be much brighter now.”

The winning ticket was purchased at JJ Convenience on Cottrelle Boulevard in Brampton.