A pair of local lottery players are smiling a bit bigger as they celebrate Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) wins.
John Chisholm of Windsor and Kay Theaker of Maidstone collected big prize cheques this week at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.
Chisholm, 63, is $613,731 richer after winning the second prize in the June 8 Lotto Max draw. Just two dollars of that total came from hitting an Encore prize in that same draw.
When checking his ticket in the store, he said he was in disbelief when he realized how big his win was. So was his wife.
"When I showed her my phone, she said, ‘Stop lying to me!'" said Chisholm. "It’s a very surreal feeling. We all dream about winning the lottery. It’s a dream come true."
Chisholm, who bought his winner at a Pioneer on Howard Avenue in Windsor, plans to travel to Greece with the winnings, invest and set up a foundation for his children.
Theaker, 59, scratched off her The Bigger Spin ticket while waiting at a dentist appointment. She said she stopped at a store because she had won a "Spin". The "spin" made her $150,000.
"Everyone in the store was screaming at the top of their lungs when I won," said Theaker, a sewing and quilting aficionado, adding that she only plays the lottery occasionally and put the $10 down on that game on a hunch.
Theaker purchased her winner at Naders Mart on Talbot Street in Essex. She plans to use the winnings on a new stove and new appliances for her property, including something on her husband's wish list.
"I've been saving for years to buy my husband a tractor, this win lets me get him a better tractor even sooner," said Theaker.
