"It hasn't hit me yet": Lottery winner says experience has been surreal
It seems that most people have a tough time convincing their loved ones that they won the lottery, and this was definitely the case for one Ontario winner.
Ashlea Carter, a 40-year-old Mississauga resident, has been playing the lottery regularly for the past two years and said that she often picks dates that are significant to her.
“I play my own set of numbers – all birthdays and other important dates,” she said.
One day, she checked the numbers on the OLG site and was stunned to discover that she had won big. It turns out that Carter had won $588,305.70 in the October 1 Lottario draw. It’s her first major win.
Ashlea Carter/OLG
Her partner, however, had a slightly harder time believing the news.
“My partner is the first person I told, and she didn’t believe me,” said Carter, who’s a mother of one. “She kept saying, ‘Stop lying!'”
While at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up her cheque, Carter shared her plans for her winnings. Now over half a million dollars richer, she plans to use the money to pay bills. She’ll also be trading in her car, investing her winnings, and putting in a down payment for a house.
“It’s surreal,” she said. “It still hasn’t hit me yet.”
Carter’s winning ticket was purchased at Park Royal Variety on Truscott Drive in Mississauga.
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