Northern Ont. couple wins $2.5M Lotto 6/49 prize

Blaine Parrington and Evelyne Rainville of Sturgeon Falls won $2.5 million in the Lotto 6/49 classic jackpot on April 2.

Their ticket was one of two that split the $5 million jackpot.

The retirees said they have been playing the lottery with OLG for nearly 15 years.

“Last September, we decided we’d play Lotto 6/49 every Wednesday for one year and see how we’d do,” Parrington said in an OLG news release Thursday.

“I scanned our LOTTO 6/49 ticket on the store’s ticket checker and saw the ‘big winner’ message. When I asked the store clerk to validate our ticket, the lottery terminal froze. An OLG representative called and confirmed we’d won $2.5 million.”

“I was amazed and shocked,” he added.

“It was a feeling that can’t be explained in words.”

He returned home to share the unbelievable news with Rainville.

“I was astonished,” she said in the release.

“That afternoon, we had family over and told them about our winning ticket. Everyone was very happy for us, including our son, whom we video-chatted with and sent a picture of the validation slip. It was a surreal and exceptionally overwhelming moment.”

‘If I Had $1,000,000’

“I reached out to my daughter, but she was busy and had to call me back,” Parrington added.

“After seeing the text message I’d sent her, she returned my call. When I answered, she was singing the Barenaked Ladies song, ‘If I Had $1,000,000.’ It was such a wholesome moment.”

Parrington said he likes fishing and so will likely buy a new boat.

“I’d like to upgrade my car, and we’d love to plan a trip within Canada to see the Rocky Mountains,” Rainville said.

They also plan to share their prize with their children and grandchildren and make some investments.

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The winning ticket was purchased at RX Drug Mart on King Street in Sturgeon Falls.

“OLG supports safe play and wants to keep the fun in the game,” the release said.

“That’s why OLG is proud to be a leader in promoting responsible gambling with our globally recognized PlaySmart program.”