Barrie man stunned after becoming instant millionaire

Jeffrey Howland, of Barrie, Ont., won $1 million in the April 30, 2025, Lotto 6/49 draw.

A construction worker says he was stunned to learn he had become a millionaire overnight with a lottery ticket he purchased at a convenience store in the south end of Barrie.

Jeffrey Howland is a longtime lottery player and when he noticed the Lotto 6/49 jackpot was increasing, he had to get a ticket from the Circle K on Marsellus Drive and try his luck.

"In the morning, before heading to work, I scanned my ticket using the OLG app on my phone," Howland recalled.

He said when he saw he had won, he couldn’t believe his eyes, so much so that he and his partner mistakenly thought the prize was much less at first.

“At first, we thought I’d won $100,000, and we were very happy,” Howland said. “Later, we realized it was actually $1 million. We were so shocked. It was surreal.”

The Barrie man has plans to put his new money toward buying a house and planning for his retirement.

“Becoming a lottery winner has been an amazing and unbelievable experience,” he concluded.