Canada’s newest multimillionaire Dwayne Williams claimed a Lotto Max prize of $55 million on Thursday, saying he and his family were dumbfounded when he checked his ticket, thinking someone hacked the lottery corporation’s app.
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Williams, 35, claimed his winnings from the April 5 draw at Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s (OLG) prize headquarters Thursday morning. The Whitby, Ont. native said he and his family routinely checks their lottery tickets Saturday morning. But that morning after the draw was far from routine.
“That Saturday we were so focused on getting out the door with the kids to run some errands at the mall that we totally forgot to check our ticket,” Williams explained. “On our way in the car, we heard on the radio that the winning ticket was sold in the Oshawa area – my wife and I joked ‘It’s us!’”
It wasn’t until after running some errands the father of two checked his tickets, using the OLG app.
“I saw the free play notice first, that’s where my eye went on the screen but in my head I knew something looked different than usual – and that’s when I focused on the $55 and at first I thought I won $55,000 but then I counted all the zeroes – all of this went through my mind in a split second.
“Did someone hack the OLG app?” Williams quipped.
Williams’ brother was next to the winner when he checked his tickets, before they ran upstairs to tell his wife the news.
“I fell to the floor and we all piled on top of each other, celebrating,” Williams said.
The tech entrepreneur delayed collecting his winnings because the family wanted to do some research on how to deal with their new wealth.
Williams said he still plans on working because “it’s important for my kids to see their dad participating in a normal routine, being productive and giving back.”
