$1 lotto play turns into $100,000 for Kingston woman

76-year-old Linda Coyle of Kingston collecting her $100, 000 Lotto Max encore prize.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation says a Kingston woman won $100,000 off a $1 Lotto Max encore play. The Crown corporation, best known as OLG, has identified the lucky Kingston winner as retiree Linda Coyle.

Coyle, 76, says she has been buying lottery tickets every week for decades. Her first ticket purchase was made as soon as she was of legal age to do so. But, according to the OLG, this is her first major win.

“I picked up this ticket as part of my regular routine,” said Coyle when she went to collect the winnings in Toronto. She says the ticket was checked by her daughter one week after the April 8th draw; and she says she could hardly believe the news counting the zeroes multiple times just to be sure.

“I was like, ‘OMG — I won the lottery!”

Coyle also says that when she first alerted other family members they thought she was joking.

“When they realized we were serious, they were all thrilled for me,” says Coyle.

She told the OLG she plans to use some of the money to renovate her home but will also share it with her children before putting some aside for a rainy day. There are also plans to take a vacation.

According to the OLG, this is proof that saying yes to a $1 encore can indeed lead to a financial windfall.

The winning ticket was purchased at Bayridge Grocery on Development Drive in Kingston.