A Newmarket, ON man is considering buying a castle after striking big and winning a $65 million OLG LOTTO MAX prize.
Mark Hanley became a multimillionaire after he purchased the golden ticket at local convenience shop New Town Variety at the Yonge Crest Centre in Newmarket, sealing the deal on the Mar. 28 jackpot.
But the city’s newest millionaire, who has been trying his lottery luck for the past 30 years, says he couldn’t quite believe what happened once he confirmed the win.
In a news release on Thursday, Hanley said his first reaction was to cautiously review his ticket, feeling disappointed at what he thought was a mismatched bonus number.
“Then I realized there are only seven numbers with LOTTO MAX, and I got the BIG ONE! When I saw there was only one winner and the jackpot was $65 million, I started jumping for joy, saying, ‘Touchdown!’” he said in the statement.
The retired business software analyst said he silently debated about how to share the mind-blowing news with his wife, who was sleeping at the time.
‘Honey, do you want to kiss a millionaire?’ Hanley asked his wife, to which she responded with what he called a stern “no,” attempting to go back to sleep.
“She looked at the ticket and thought, ‘So what…?’ So, I told her to go take a shower to fully wake up. When she came back, the reality of this win started to settle in, and she began crying tears of joy.”
The couple decided to surprise their adult children face to face with the new fortune, travelling to see them without completely explaining why.
“Oh good, now they think someone died!” Hanley laughed.
After learning about the exciting news, Hanley said they were overcome with emotion.
“I felt so good to tell them, and it’s a dream come true to now be able to provide for them in so many incredible ways!”
Hanley said he intends to share a portion of his winnings with some immediate family members, and use the rest to check off items on his bucket list.
“I want to travel the world for its food! I want to go to Italy, and especially France. I love French bread, French wine, and… oh my, French cheese!”
And what else does Hanley hope to do with $65 million? Dream bigger than his winnings.
“I want to buy a castle, but [my] wife won’t let me,” he added with a laugh.
“I always dreamt of winning a couple of million, but this amount is just baffling. I just feel so grateful and blessed that this win came my way.”
