$50,000 lottery wins for Ajax, Pickering players

Lottery lovers in Ajax and Pickering are loving $50,000 wins, with Samir Abubakar of Ajax and Veena Masih of Pickering celebrating wins in Daily Keno 8 and the Lotto 6/49 Super Draw, respectively.

Abubakar’s picks in the March 14 Daily Keno evening draw earned him a quick $50,000 with the 58-year-old telling OLG officials at the Toronto prize centre that he picks his own numbers, using his daughters’ birthdays.

“It was a regular day for me, and I was checking my tickets as usual,” he said. “Typically, I’m not an emotional person, but when I discovered I won big, something inside me lit up and I was smiling from ear to ear.”

He looks forward to surprising his daughters with his win. “I’m going to buy them all iPhone 17s. When I hand them the phones, I know they’ll be confused and ask what the occasion is. That’s when I plan on telling them I won the lottery!”

Abubakar also plans to pay some bills, take a trip to Ethiopia and share his prize with family.

The winning ticket was purchased at Esso/On the Run on Rossland Road East in Ajax.

Samir Abubakar of Ajax won $50,000 in the Daily Keno 8 draw on March 14

Masih won her $50,000 in the Valentine’s Day Lotto 6/49 Super Draw.

The forklift driver said she has a regular routine of purchasing her lottery tickets at the same retailer. “I’ve been playing the same game for over 10 years,” she shared while visiting the OLG Prize Centre to collect her windfall.

The 64-year-old said she was at home on her sofa when she checked her ticket on the OLG and discovered her big win. “At first, I thought I won $5,000, but as I was counting the zeros, I asked my son if he could take a look. He said, ‘Mom, you won $50,000!’”

With her winnings, Veena plans to pay some bills, save for her children’s future and donate to charity.

The winning ticket was purchased at Smart Food Fair on Pickering Parkway in Pickering.