Nova Scotia’s newest millionaire said she was en route to her grandson’s hockey game when she picked up what turned out to be a winning Lotto 6/49 ticket.
The winner, Sandra Lasaga from Eastern Passage, N.S., said in a press release, “I got the ticket, went to hockey and never thought anything of it until my sister said that someone in Eastern Passage won.”
The ticket was purchased at a Circle K in Eastern Passage N.S., for the Dec. 2 draw.
The draw was for two jackpots, the Classic at $5 million and the Gold Ball, which begins at $10 million and gradually grows or automatically provides a $1-million payout if a white ball is drawn in the selection process.
Lasaga said she hadn’t thought much more about the draw until her sister mentioned that the million-dollar ticket was purchased in her area.
When she first checked the winning numbers online, she saw that her ticket didn’t match a single digit on the Classic draw.
Her husband then had her check the Gold Ball jackpot and surely enough, the couple came to the conclusion that she was “that someone in Eastern Passage” when all the numbers on her ticket aligned with the ones on the screen.
She was the $1-million winner when a white ball was drawn.
“First thing I will do is help my family,” Lasaga said. “Put some smiles on some people’s faces, make some people happy.”
Lasaga also plans on getting a new vehicle, and taking her family to Europe and to Disney.
She says the couple is looking into getting a new house and that she looks forward to retiring without worrying about finances.