After 20 years, man from Mississauga finally hits the lotto jackpot

Rahim Premji has definite plans for the $100,000 he recently won playing the lottery.

The Mississauga man told Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation officials the money he collected from an Encore win in the May 5 Daily Grand draw will be saved for the time being. Down the road, though, it “will come in handy” to pay for his children’s education.

Premji’s ticket matched the last six of seven Encore numbers in exact order to claim the big prize. A weekly lottery player for nearly 20 years, he told OLG officials he enjoys a variety of games, including Lotto 6/49, and adds an Encore play to about half of his tickets.

“I feel blessed to have won this prize,” Premji, 48, said while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to collect his windfall. “Being a winner feels great.”

Employed as a manager, Premji said he bought the winning ticket “as part of my regular routine.”

He added he was pleasantly surprised a couple of days after the draw when he checked the winning numbers.

“I went to the store and scanned my ticket using the ticket checker. When the prize amount appeared on the screen, I was surprised I’d won — on Encore. In that moment, I felt very happy and joyful.”

The winning ticket was purchased at Esso/Circle K, on Rexwood Road in Mississauga.

(Cover photo: OLG)