Barrie man wins big with lottery ticket purchased by his wife on a whim

Steven Mooney of Barrie, Ont., won the $100,000 top prize with INSTANT CROSSWORD TRIPLER (Game #3306).

Steven Mooney is making plans after winning the top prize of $100,000 with an instant lottery ticket his wife picked up at the Circle K on Essa Road in Barrie.

The Barrie man says he’s been playing the lottery for nearly 40 years and admitted this was his first big win. He says his wife only grabbed the Instant Crossword Tripler ticket to even the bill after buying some milk for her coffee.

Mooney played a couple of instant lottery tickets before revealing his big win. "I scanned it using the OLG app on my phone and was completely shocked."

The couple shared the news with their kids, who were in disbelief.

"At first, they thought we were joking. They had to come home and see the ticket for themselves. When they confirmed it was real, they were just as thrilled as we were," Mooney shared.

The couple has plans to travel with their winnings. “It feels unreal. You don’t think it’ll happen to you until it does, and it doesn’t register in your mind right away. This win was a very pleasant surprise.”

Instant Crossword Tripler costs $5 per play with a top prize of $100,000.