"I stared at my phone and smiled": Lottery winner plans to retire

An Ontario man’s lottery routine ended up being far from the ordinary when he discovered that he had finally won big.

Oshawa resident Thomas Yule has been playing the lottery regularly for decades.

“This is my first major win,” he said. “I’ve been playing the Lotto 6/49 since 1991.”

Yule, a father of two, recalls using the OLG app to check his ticket.

“It’s my regular routine,” he said. “I wake up, make coffee, pack my lunch, and check my tickets.”

But it turned out to be an extraordinary day for Yule. Not only did he win $2 on his Encore selection but he had won a Lotto 6/49 prize worth $1 million in the Gold Ball Draw on September 14, bringing his total winnings to $1,000,002.

Thomas Yule/OLG

“I stared at my phone and smiled silently for a while,” recalled Yule. “I said to myself, ‘Wow, I can retire.’ It’s pretty amazing.”

While at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up his cheque, he said he plans to buy a car, put his winnings towards investments, and share the money with his daughters.

Now a million dollars richer, Yule said he “couldn’t be happier.”

His winning ticket was purchased at Elderberry Convenience on Elderberry Drive in Oshawa.