An Ontario warehouse worker will retire $23.6 million richer thanks to a lotto win over the weekend -- a life-changing surprise he nearly missed had it not been for his perceptive wife.
Luciano Polera, 54, bought a Lotto Max ticket on Friday, a tradition he’s had for 40 years. When he checked the numbers Saturday morning over a cup of coffee, he thought he’d missed out by a single number: 33.
“I only circled six numbers instead of seven. I told my wife we missed by one number,” Polera told CTVNews.ca on Tuesday.
Fortunately, his wife, Cathy, took a second look at the ticket and saw that the lucky number was right there.
While Cathy screamed and celebrated, Polera said he remained calm.
“I thought, it’s about time,” he said.
Polera, who lives in Richmond Hill, Ont., said he plans to invest some of his winnings, take care of his two adult children, ages 30 and 27, and take the family on a trip to Fiji, a vacation his wife has always dreamed about.
“Now I don’t have to worry about any more financial problems, we can take care of our house and our kids,” he said.
As for his job at the warehouse, Polera said he was planning to retire in a month-and-a-half. Instead, he’ll be submitting his formal resignation sometime this week.
He picked up his winnings Tuesday in Toronto. He says the news still hasn’t quite sunk in.
“I’m still a little shocked every now and then.”
