Disbelief was the reaction for two Toronto residents who recently recorded big lottery wins.
Baladeva Manickarasa won a prize of $333,333 in the Maxmillions draw that was part of the Dec. 3, 2024, Lotto Max lottery.
“I was having breakfast with my family when I decided to check my tickets,” Manickarasa told lottery officials in Toronto.
“For a solid 30 minutes, I stood there in silence, trying to process my win. My heart was beating so fast. All I could think was that there was no way this could be real. It was definitely a life-altering moment!”
Manickarasa, 43, said his wife also hesitated to believe he had won the lottery.
“She doesn’t believe me,” Manickarasa said. "She still thinks I'm pranking her. I can't wait to have the cheque in hand and show her that I really won."
Meanwhile, Michael Lapadat won a $100,000 top prize with a $5 scratch lottery ticket called Instant Very Merry Money.
Lapadat, who works in the financial industry, has been playing the lottery with OLG since the days of Wintario, which held its first draw in1975.
He was at the grocery store when he decided to pick up an instant ticket and let the clerk choose it for him.
“I was at home when I played my ticket and discovered I’d won. I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way this can be happening,’” Lapadat said. “I couldn’t believe it!"
"I showed my ticket to my wife and had her double-check it to verify what I was seeing. We reviewed the game instructions and the prize amount next to the three diamonds I’d revealed."
"My wife was as surprised as I was and asked me to take her back to the store so the clerk could pick out a ticket for her, too,” Lapadat laughed.
Lapadat plans to put a portion of his winnings towards his retirement and enjoy a travel adventure with his wife.
Manickarasa plans to use his winnings to make a down payment on a home for himself and his family.
