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NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO LOTTERY AND GAMING CORPORATION
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TORONTO – A group of 16 from the Greater Toronto Area is celebrating after winning an ONTARIO 49 top prize worth $2 million in the June 26, 2021 draw.
The group members are:
- Sonia Correia-Batista of Woodbridge
- Aileen Hernandez of Thornhill
- Ana Silva Marques of Bradford
- Deepa Chacko of Maple
- Fouzieh Khalediyan of Richmond Hill
- Ivory Tigley of Richmond Hill
- Joris Binoya of Concord
- Joyce Preece of Kleinburg
- Lidia Alvarado of Woodbridge
- Maria Adan-Guillermo of Richmond Hill
- Ngoc Minh Kwan of Richmond Hill
- Sandra Carruthers of Richmond Hill
- Shammonique Barnes of Brampton
- Tsering Namgyal of Richmond Hill
- Vanessa Phillips of Toronto
- Vicent Nsubunga of Brampton
The group of 16 nurses have worked together for over 10 years and have only been playing the lottery as a group for one month before their big win.
“We started playing as a group in hopes of winning a LOTTO MAX jackpot and then started trying other games too,” shared Sonia, the group leader, while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up her portion of the win. “One of the group members checked our ticket and saw the number two and a bunch of zeroes and said, ‘I think we won something,’” recalled Sonia. “I said, that’s not something, that’s $2 million dollars!”
The group gathered a few hours later in the parking lot of their workplace. “We were all shaking and numb with disbelief. There were so many emotions about the win as we all discussed the impact this would have on our lives,” said Sonia. “COVID has been so difficult for us. We’ve all had to push through exhaustion and burnout and this win has been an incredible joy for us all and a great reason to celebrate,” she added.
Each of the group members receive a cheque for $125,000. Sonia said the group is planning a spa getaway to treat themselves and revel in this win together. “And some members are planning to purchase vehicles and complete home renovations.”
“We will all remember this experience for the rest of our lives,” Sonia concluded.
OLG is booking in-person prize claim appointments at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto. As there are limited appointments, we strongly encourage those with claims between $1,000 and $49,999.90 to submit their claims online or mail them. Submitting claims online is fast, secure and enables OLG to process the claim in a timely manner. Customers with prizes over $50,000 are asked to call 1-800-387-0098 to discuss available prize claim options.
ONTARIO 49 is $1 per play and the draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday. Combination Play is available in five-, seven-, eight- and nine-number selections. Tickets are sold until 10:30 p.m. Visit the ONTARIO 49 page on OLG.ca for more information.
The winning ticket was purchased at Brothers Convenience on Bay Thorn Drive in Thornhill.
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