A group of four from Cobourg and the City of Kawartha Lakes who met on a cruise ship five years ago are celebrating a $1-million lottery win.
According to the OLG, the group matched all seven numbers in the exact order in the Encore draw as part of the Oct. 30 Lotto Max draw to claim the top prize. An Encore ticket is $1.
The group consists of Mary Smith and Charles Smith of Cobourg and Susan Smallwood and Glenn Smallwood of the City of Kawartha Lakes.
The foursome met five years ago while on a cruise and have been playing the lottery together for a year and a half.
“We met in a hotel in Florida and discovered the next day we were all on the same cruise staying three doors down from each other,” Susan said while accepting the prize at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.
“We’ve been friends ever since.”
Smallwood says she woke up around 6 a.m. on Nov. 1 and noticed an email from the OLG indicating a win. The winning ticket was purchased on PlayOLG.ca website.
“It was different from the usual winner notifications,” she said. “When I saw $1 million, I thought it was a joke and ran to wake my husband! We were all shaking.”
The Smallwoods called the Smiths via FaceTime to share the news.
“They jumped out of bed and couldn’t believe we won,” said Smallwood. “We are all overwhelmed and feeling so many things. What an incredible experience.”
Smallwood says her husband is going to retire and they plan to share some of their winnings with their children and parents.
“Travel is the priority for our group, and this will fund many more international adventures for years to come,” she said.
Comments