National
For one Canadian woman, a Free Play lottery ticket handed to her by a generous customer as a tip turned into a shocking win.
Elizabeth Kielty is a Mississauga, Ont., resident who works in the transportation service industry. During an ordinary day at work, a customer gave her an unusual tip for great service: a Lotto Max Free Play ticket.
“I set the ticket aside and completely forgot about it,” Kielty said. “Several weeks later, I remembered the ticket and took it to the store to redeem my Free Play with another Lotto Max ticket.”
She then returned to the store a few days after the draw to check her tickets, including the one she got from the customer’s Free Play ticket.
“When I had my ticket that came from the ‘tip’ validated, the lottery terminal froze, and the clerk told me my ticket was a big winner. I remained calm and collected, but I was in disbelief,” she said. “A representative from OLG called the store, and I said, ‘Are you sure I won? I think you made a mistake!’”
Elizabeth Kielty of Mississauga, Ont. (OLG)
To her surprise, Kielty discovered that the “tip” ticket was a winner — she had won half of a Maxmillions prize in the Aug. 13, 2024, draw. She was now $500,000 richer, her first big win after playing the lottery for decades.
“I spent the next 24 hours trying to understand how I’d won this prize,” she recalled. “I was convinced there had been an error somewhere. I only really believed it around 2 a.m. when I found the information about the winning ticket on OLG’s website. Clearly, I’m an evidence-based person.”
While at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim her windfall, she said she plans to use her win to upgrade her vehicle. She’s also going to invest her winnings “in a safe place” while she thinks about what to do with her money.
“I’m happy to receive this prize and grateful for the positive impact it’ll have on my life,” she said.
The winning ticket was purchased at Petro-Canada on Burnhamthorpe Road in Mississauga.
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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