National
A 26-year-old lottery player from Toronto is set for life after winning the $60-million Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot in the May 7 draw.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) says two crucial decisions may have contributed to Bocheng Mei becoming a multimillionaire at such a young age.
Mei’s first decision was not only to sign up to buy lottery tickets online, but he also selected the “Never Miss A Draw” subscription so his tickets would be purchased automatically for each upcoming draw.
OLG
“I saw lottery winners in the news and on social media, so I decided to check out OLG.ca,” he recalled during his winner celebration in Toronto. “I do most stuff online, so I picked my own numbers, added ENCORE, and never had to think about it again — because I knew my tickets would be purchased automatically.”
According to OLG, the second life-changing move Mei made was answering his phone when an unknown number called him.
The call was from the lottery corporation, asking him to check his account online. OLG.ca account holders are “known players” with information that connects them to their customer profile. When these players win, they get an email from the corporation informing them that they have won a prize. Mei hadn’t checked his account, so he missed that special email.
Mei says that when he answered the call, he made sure to check if it was really from OLG.
“I started googling them to see if they were legit, as I’ve had enough experience detecting scam calls. I knew they were really OLG representatives because they didn’t ask for any banking information. They just asked me to check my OLG.ca account,” he recounted. “That’s when I discovered I had a winning ticket, and it said I’d won $60 million! My hands and feet went numb.”
The 26-year-old was in disbelief. “The OLG representative walked me through the next steps, and I tried to take it all in, but it all felt like a dream. As soon as I got off the phone with OLG, I had to join a work meeting online and tried to play it cool. Inside, my feelings were all over the place!”
Mei, who works in the software industry, logged off his computer at the end of his workday and took some time to grasp the overwhelming fact that he was about to be $60 million richer.
His parents were the first to receive a call about the amazing news.
“I tried to be very calm when I told them I’d won a big prize. They wanted to make sure I wasn’t being tricked, but they know I’m always very cautious,” said Mei. “When I told them the prize was $60 million, I reassured them they would never need to worry about money again. I told them they could retire and enjoy life. They were so shocked to hear the news.”
OLG
It took Mei about a week to come to terms with this life-altering event. Eventually, he told a small group of very close friends about his win.
“They were so excited for me and started jumping for joy. I’m not a super expressive person, but they were acting exactly how I was feeling inside. I’m very lucky to have them by my side,” he said.
There are several things on Mei’s bucket list that he wants to cross off using his lottery prize.
“I love to learn, so I want to take advantage of various educational opportunities. I also want to explore different cultures, so that means plenty of travel,” he said. “I really want to experience the Aurora Borealis as well, which may involve trips to Finland and Iceland.”
He also plans to buy a new home in Toronto, but most importantly, he wants to take care of his parents.
“I can now change their lives along with my own. I can provide for them now and make so many things happen for all of us that were never possible before,” said Mei.
After reflecting on his win, Mei shared one final thought. “Most of my friends don’t buy lottery tickets — I think I’m the only one. But now that this news is out, I think they’ll change their minds!”
All forms of gambling, including the lottery, involve risk and outcomes are based on chance. Individuals are strongly advised to gamble responsibly. If you are experiencing any signs of gambling-related issues, check out these resources.
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