Using significant family dates on his Lotto 6-49 ticket led to a $5-million prize for a 43-year-old Toronto man.
North York resident Marlon Llido has been a regular lottery player since he arrived in Canada 12 years ago and has finally hit the jackpot, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) said in a statement Monday.
He won $5 million in the Oct. 5 classic Lotto 6-49 draw. Llido also won $28 on another 6-49 selection and $2 on Encore, bringing his total to $5,000,030, the OLG said.
“I play regular numbers comprised of significant family dates,” Llido said in the OLG statement.
It was on Thanksgiving Day when he scanned his ticket using the OLG app and realized he won — initially thinking it was $5,000.
“I showed it to my wife, and she pointed out that it was a $5-million win,” he said.
“We scanned it again to make sure it was real and counted the zeroes. Then we started to cry tears of joy and hugged each other – it was so unbelievable…
“It was an emotional experience as my wife and I processed how much this money would impact our family. We’ve dreamt of winning before and joked that $5 million would be the perfect amount.”
Llido said he is going to take time to consider what he will do with the money, but noted that his priority is his children’s future and will invest some of the funds for them.
He said they also plan on taking a family trip to celebrate.
The winning ticket was bought at a Circle K on Finch Avenue in North York, the OLG said.