Oakville retiree turns last $2 into more than $350k lottery win

What would you do with two dollars?

You could order coffee at Timmy’s or hit up the dollar store.

But one Oakville woman used her remaining change to buy a lottery ticket, a decision that paid off big time.

Ida Pietri, who’s now retired, said that she’s an occasional lottery player who enjoys playing games that are five dollars and under. So when she found herself at the Piggy Mart on Lakeshore Road in Oakville, she figured she’d try her luck.

“I had two dollars in my wallet, so I decided to play Lightning Lotto,” she said.

Pietri then recalls going to the store to check her tickets, only to discover that the two dollars had bought her the winning ticket.

“I told the clerk there was something wrong because the screen disappeared,” she said. “Then ‘Big Winner’ appeared on the screen, and the jackpot reset!”

The grand prize: $362,860.50.

She said she immediately went to get her husband, who took a few moments to process the news.

“He didn’t believe it at first, but when he finally did, we told the rest of the family,” said Pietri.

Not only will she be able to retire more comfortably after her big, but she also has other plans.

While at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up her winnings, Pietri said that she’d be taking a trip to visit family and, of course, treating herself to new furniture.

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Another lucky lottery winner is Mississauga resident Maria Di Iorio. She’s been playing the OLG Instant Crossword as a fun way to unwind for the past five years.

Di Iorio, who works in the insurance industry, said she thought she won $350.

“I didn’t have my glasses on,” she recalled. “When I realized it was $350,000, I was shocked!”

She said she’d be celebrating her big win with her family and, like Pietri, plans to go on a vacation.