Small town lotto winner ran barefoot to daughter-in-law's house to share the news
A Canadian lotto player who’s been trying her luck for decades could barely contain the thrill of finding out she’d won a massive prize.
Pauline McCombe, from the small Ontario town of Kirkland Lake, bagged the $250,000 top prize in an Instant Crossword Deluxe game. It’s one of her favourite lottery games, along with Bingo.
The 61-year-old had bought a ticket at a grocery store in her area. When she scanned it on the OLG app to find out she had won big time, she thought her phone was broken.
“I thought, ‘This can’t be real,’ and then screamed from the top of my lungs,” the winner shared during her visit to Toronto’s OLG Prize Centre. She was there to pick up her windfall.
“I was so excited I ran barefoot to my daughter-in-law’s house to show her. I couldn’t even spare an extra minute to put my shoes on!” she revealed, laughing.
According to 2021 Statistics Canada data, Kirkland Lake is home to just over 6,000 people, which means local news travels fast. Soon after she discovered she’d won, people started calling her.
“Within a few hours, I got many calls congratulating me!” McCombe shared. “I know I won, but I still have to pinch myself every minute to make sure this isn’t a dream.”
So, what’s in the cards for the $250,000?
Pauline said she’ll pay off some bills and share the money with her son. Then, she’ll invest all the leftover lotto money.
A Lotto 6/49 draw occurred on Saturday, November 4, and a lucky winner matched the white ball number 26185561-03, netting themselves a cool million.
According to PlayNow, that winning ticket was sold in Western Canada, so if you bought a ticket in the region recently, don’t forget to scan it.
With files from Daily Hive’s Irish Mae Silvestre