A Toronto man who won the largest prize in LOTTO 6/49 history says he plans to continue working despite his record-breaking winnings.
OLG (The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation) announced that Noel Patricio was the winner of the $68 million prize in a press release on Thursday.
Patricio won the 6/49 Golden Ball draw on Sept. 27, the highest winnings in LOTTO 6/49 history.
Nonetheless, Patricio reiterated to OLG how important work is to him, and that he plans to continue working at his jobs in the housekeeping industry.
“I love the work I do and the people I work with, and that makes my two jobs so meaningful to me. I want to be the same Noel,” he said in a statement.
Patricio is celebrating his big win and his birthday this week, but purchased the winning ticket at Hasty Market on Church Street in Toronto during a break at work a few months ago, OLG said.
Patricio told OLG he was “in shock” when he won, and repeatedly checked the amount of zeros on his ticket throughout the day.
“I thought I won $68,000 and called my sister to tell her what I won…she asked me to count the zeroes, and I told her there were six of them. That’s when she corrected me and said, ‘That’s $68 million!’”
“All I could think was, is this a joke? Is this real? Will I wake up from this dream?” Patricio said.
But he told OLG that he decided to keep the news private until he felt ready to collect his prize.
Patricio plans to use his winnings to renovate his current home and to take his sisters on their dream vacation to Italy.
He also hopes to make more time for himself and to cut back at work a little bit.
Patricio plans to use his new-found spare time to attend live sports, especially tennis matches and basketball games.
“I’ll probably travel to see Rafael Nadal play live, and I would also like to get myself season tickets to the Toronto Raptors,” he said.
“I came to Canada with one suitcase and a few dollars – it’s unbelievable to think I am here as the Gold Ball Jackpot winner! I am ready to settle into my excitement and live an exciting life,” he concluded.
LOTTO 6/49 offers players a chance to win two multi-million dollar jackpots every Wednesday and Saturday, for the same $3 per play.
