A Whitby resident is still in awe after winning $25,000 a year for life in a lottery nearly a year ago.
Heather Carnegie was out with her sister and nephew when she decided to stop for gas and check her DAILY GRAND ticket. She proceeded to match all five main numbers, winning the second prize in the July 7, 2022 draw.
“My nephew came into the store with me,” she said in an OLG news release on Wednesday. “I scanned my ticket, did a double take, and checked it again. I was shocked and my legs started shaking!”
She then went out to the car to share the news with her sister. “I said, ‘get in here – I think I just won the lottery!’”
Carnegie purchased her ticket at Petro Canada on Thickson Rd. in Whitby. She said she has been a regular lottery player for the last eight years, and that this was her first big win.
“It’s such an incredible blessing,” she said. “Having my family with me when I discovered I won was wonderful. This is the best feeling in the world. It feels like a beautiful dream you never want to wake up from.”
The entrepreneur decided to opt for the lump sum prize of $500,000 instead of receiving $25,000 a year. Carnegie recently picked up her prize at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.
“I waited to claim my prize because I needed time to process what happened,” she said at the centre.
Carnegie plans to use her prize to complete some home renovations and invest, along with purchasing new cars for her and her sister.
“My car is 17 years old. She’s served me well, but she’s tired,” she laughed.
DAILY GRAND is a national lottery game with a top prize of $1,000 a day for life for matching the five main numbers and the grand number. The second prize is $25,000 a year for life for matching the five main numbers. The lottery is $3 per play and draws occur on Mondays and Thursdays.
