‘Thank goodness they send those reminders,’ Markham man says he missed initial email about $1M lotto win

Peter Hedgecock of Markham holds $1 million cheque he won. (OLG)

Markham resident Peter Hedgecock had to be reminded that he won the $1-million Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Draw in March.

“I hadn’t seen the original email OLG sent about my win,” Hedgecock told the lottery commission when he visited its Toronto prize centre to claim his winnings.

“I only realized I’d won big when I received a second reminder email.”

However, even after reading that email, Hedgecock remained somewhat skeptical about his win.

“When I read it, I was in a state of shock — half of me didn’t believe it. Thank goodness they send those reminders!” he said.

Hedgecock, who has been playing the lottery for nearly 20 years, also recounted how he shared the news with his wife, who was sleeping at the time.

“I went to bed and whispered to her, ‘Honey, we won $1 million.’ She was half asleep and told me to go away,” he said.

The father of three, who purchased his ticket online, shared that he plans to put his winnings toward his retirement.

“Winning is a humbling feeling,” he told OLG with a smile.