Ont. man plans to pay off his mortgage with 1st big lottery win

Jeffrey McInnes, of Loretto, Ont., won over $709,000 in the Aug. 17, 2024, Lottario draw. (Source: OLG)

Jeffrey McInnes plans to pay off his mortgage and get some home renovations done with his first big lottery win.

The father and grandfather has been playing the lottery for 30 years and hit the jackpot in the August 17 Lottario draw, winning $709,022.30.

The 59-year-old man from Loretto said he found out he had won when he went to the gas station for a coffee.

"I went over to the ticket checker, scanned my ticket, and saw the 'Big Winner' message on the screen," he recalled.

McInnes said he was skeptical about having won at first. "I thought to myself, that can't be right. I checked a few other tickets before rescanning the first one. I couldn't believe what I was seeing."

When he shared the news with his wife, she was also in disbelief.

"I had to show her the winning numbers on the OLG app," he said. "It was a funny moment we shared."

Lottario tickets cost $1 per play, with draws every Saturday. McInnes purchased his winning ticket in Beeton at the Foodland on Main Street East.