"We are 12 very happy people": Factory co-workers win the lottery after 10 years
It looks like celebrations are in order because after playing the lottery together for 10 years, a group of co-workers from Ontario finally won the lottery.
The group of 12 from the Greater Toronto Area work together at a factory and say that they play the lottery as a team to connect and socialize.
In February, group member Carlos Rodriguez purchased a ticket for the Lotto 6/49 draw. So while at the gas station, he decided to check their ticket and discovered that they had won in the February 11, 2023, Lotto 6/49 draw.
According to the Play Now website, no one won the $5 million jackpot during the draw. However, the second prize was split between three tickets — one in North Vancouver, one purchased online, and another in Ontario — resulting in a prize worth $72,300 each. And the group had one of the winning tickets.
When Rodriguez found out how much they won, he said, “I started doing the math right away.”
Guiseppe Schifano recalls how Rodriguez gave him the news while at work.
“I asked how much and when he told me $72,300, I said, ‘Woah!’ I started sharing the news with the other members — the hairs on my arms were standing up.”
After that, he said that news of their win spread like wildfire through the plant.
However, one group member couldn’t believe their luck.
“Carlos doesn’t joke, but I still didn’t believe it for a couple of hours,” said Jose Marquez.
Minawatee Seeram clearly remembers that day.
“I laughed with joy all day long,” said Seeram. “My colleagues wondered why I was so happy.”
Split between the 12 of them, each group member’s share is $6,025.
“I’ve never won money like this,” said Schifano, while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto. “We are 12 very happy people.”
The winning ticket was purchased at Petro Canada on Highway 7 in Woodbridge.
Other group members include Alfredo Corpuz, Khang Tho Nguyen, Luc Dufour, Nancy Rodriguez, Phuong Du, Sumatee Ramprashad, Thuan Khuu, and Yeh Sung.
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