An Ontario man is now joyfully unemployed after winning a staggering $44 million in the March 11 Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot. Emidio S., a former service worker from Jarvis, Ontario, discovered his life-changing win during his early morning commute to work.
The Moment of Discovery
“I was on my way to work listening to the radio when I heard the Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball prize was won in Ontario – but I didn’t hear the amount,” Emidio said, according to OLG, which now omits winners’ surnames from news releases for privacy reasons. Winners’ full names appear on OLG’s list of winners of $1,000 or more for up to 30 days. He added, “I would usually wait until I got to work to check my email because I buy my lottery tickets on OLG.ca, but something told me to stop the car and check right away.”
Pulling over in front of a stranger’s home, Emidio saw an email from OLG indicating he had won. “The email looked a little different than normal,” he recalled. “I logged into my OLG.ca account and was shocked when I saw the prize amount. Was it $4,400? Or $44,000?” After counting the zeros and realizing it was $44 million, he was overwhelmed. “I signed out, logged back in, and saw the $44-million figure again. I couldn’t wrap my head around it! Finally, I said to myself, ‘I’d better tell my wife.’”
Sharing the News
Emidio turned around and drove home to share the incredible news. “As soon as I walked into the house, I took a deep breath and told her I needed her to look at my OLG.ca account,” he said. “She was stunned to see that I had won the jackpot. She said excitedly, ‘If this is true, we won’t have to worry about the kids’ futures ever again.’ My wife looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked me if this was real. And for the first time, at that moment, it felt like it was.”
Plans for the Winnings
Emidio’s top priority is taking his wife on a dream vacation. “My wife works 12-hour days, sometimes seven days a week – she needs this!” he said, fighting back tears. “We used to travel a bit before COVID, and just seeing her relaxing on a beach back then was pure joy for me. I can picture her looking out over the ocean without a care in the world. I just want to see that expression of relaxation and joy on her face again.”
Beyond that, he plans to explore Europe, go on a cruise, and see the world with family and friends. He also wants to support his children. “I’m hoping they’ll be able to live out their ambitions and careers on their own terms, rather than simply working to pay the bills.” Emidio purchased his winning ticket on OLG.ca using the Auto Pick feature to select his numbers.
