Elmira man wins $100,000

Joseph Lariviere of Elmira posed with a large novelty cheque after winning $100,000 with ENCORE. (Submitted: OLG)

An Elmira man says a big lottery win has given him a sense of freedom.

Joseph Lariviere, who is also known as Robert, won $100,000 by matching the last six of seven Encore numbers in the Dec. 11 Lotto 6/49 draw.

The father of three and grandfather of two said he plays Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Max twice a week, but this was his first big win.

“I was at the store when I decided to use the ticket checker to see how I did on my LOTTO 6/49 ticket,” Lariviere said while picking up his prize in Toronto. “At first, I thought the winning message said I’d won $1,000. I scanned my ticket a few more times, checking to make sure I’d read the prize amount correctly. It was a pretty exciting moment.”

“Winning takes some weight off my shoulders. It’s amazing and comes with a wonderful sense of freedom,” he said.

Lariviere plans to pay some bills and invest his winnings.