When Linda Fenton checked her Lotto 6/49 ticket on a peaceable Sunday early morning, she couldn’t assume her eyes. She and three of her very long time good buddies from Essex, Ont., had really merely received $88,907 in theDec 21, 2024 draw– and one buddy had the most effective means to elucidate the minute.
“It’s kind of like finding out you’re pregnant!” claimed Rhonda Bonneau, as she and her group checked out the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to seize their payouts.
“You know you’re having a baby, but it doesn’t feel real until you’re holding it.”
For Fenton, Bonneau, Mary Ann Reaume and Sandra Brush, the win included shock, exhilaration, and ideas for precisely how they’ll make the most of their share of the reward, which issues roughly $22K.
“I’m going on a trip to Cuba in March, and I will save the rest,” claimedBrush “Oh! And I’ll buy a bunch of Lindor chocolates.”
For Bonneau, she intends to help her boy together with his upcoming marriage ceremony occasion, whereas likewise appreciating a journey to Europe.
Reaume needs to mean a journey to Ireland to commemorate her fiftieth marriage ceremony occasion anniversary. As for Fenton, she needs to “pay some bills and invest the rest. I don’t have any big plans yet, but I’ll treat myself down the line.”
The tight-knit group of buddies have been enjoying the lottery collectively for 5 years. Their custom started once they have been coworkers at an area meat market and continued even after Reaume retired.
Over the years, their friendship grew stronger, whereas lottery custom has additionally now paid off in a giant approach.
“It’s shocking, but we’re so grateful,” mentioned Bonneau.
The fortunate second got here when Fenton opened the OLG app and scanned their ticket.
“It was a Sunday morning when I scanned our ticket on the OLG app and discovered we’d won,” she mentioned.
In shock and with shaky palms, Fenton shortly started calling everybody to share the excellent news. Each name was met with the identical response: full disbelief and pleasure.
“I couldn’t believe what Linda was telling me! I was so surprised,” mentioned Reaume.
“I was stunned,” added Brush. “I doubted what Linda was telling me and said, ‘Are you kidding me? Don’t play with me.”
Then, the 4 buddies determined to share the information with their family members. Their households have been simply as thrilled.
“I said, ‘Hold on! Let me put you on speakerphone so my husband can hear this,’” mentioned Bonneau. “I thought, ‘There’s no way this is real,’ I was shaking too! This was the best news I’d heard in a while.”
But greater than the prize itself, it’s the shared expertise which means essentially the most to those 4 buddies.
“The best part is that we’re going through this journey together. I couldn’t imagine winning this prize with anyone else,” mentioned Brush. “It’s just beautiful and has brought so much joy!”
The group says the expertise has been unforgettable — and it won’t be their final massive win.
“This has been a wonderful experience,” mentioned Bonneau. “This is something the girls and I will talk about for years! We can’t wait to come back and collect a $50 million jackpot.”
The successful ticket was bought at Circle Ok on Talbot Street North in Essex. The group matched 5 out of six numbers — 6, 9, 21, 24, 41, 48 — and the bonus quantity 31, serving to them safe the second largest prize.
The Lotto 6/49 Classic Jackpot draw is obtainable each Wednesday and Saturday, and is made up of six numbers drawn from a variety of 1 to 49. If a ticket offered for the draw matches all six numbers, then that ticket wins the Classic Jackpot $5 million prize.
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