Susan and David Bishop of South River, Ont., are celebrating a $100,000 lottery win that all began with a $50 prize. The retired couple, who’ve been playing OLG games for decades, used their previous winnings to buy a few more tickets, not knowing one would lead to a jackpot.
“We had a couple of $50 winning tickets, so we went to the store and bought a couple more with our winnings,” said the retirees while visiting the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim their prize.
“We decided to scratch one ticket while enjoying our morning coffee.”
Susan started the ticket and noticed a few matching letters, then passed it to David to scratch the rest.
“I said to him, ‘This could be our special ticket!’” she said.
The couple typically play twice a week and enjoy a mix of games, including Crossword, Bingo, Lotto Max, and Lotto 6/49. But this ticket led to their first big win and a moment they won’t forget.
“When David uncovered the letter, he started singing, ‘Dingle, dingle, dingle!’ That’s our code word for winning,” said Susan.
“I gave a hysterical laugh, and in disbelief, I asked, ‘We didn’t win $100,000, did we?’”
Still not quite believing it, the couple took their ticket to the store to confirm their win.
“Later on, we went to the store to have it validated, and that’s when we began to accept that it was real,” they said. “It was a surreal experience!”
Instant Crossword Tripler (Game #3306) costs $5 and offers a top prize of $100,000, with odds of winning any prize at 1 in 3.76.
To play, scratch 18 letters and see where they show up in the two puzzles and six Bonus Words. Find at least four full words in the main puzzles to win a prize. The more words you uncover, the bigger the win. Complete a Bonus Word to grab the prize listed beside it, and if the Tripler box reveals “3X,” your puzzle prize gets tripled.
The winning ticket was purchased at Jessie’s Kwik-Way on Montreal Avenue in South River.
Tools to stop gambling
If you’re looking to take a break from gambling, self-exclusion programs can be effective tools. See here for resources that are available across Canada.