Ajax grandma cruiseship bound after nearly $100,000 lotto win

An Ajax woman recounted the “surreal moment” of learning she won nearly $100,000 playing the lotto.

Marketing specialist Karen Garner has spent the last 30 years playing the lottery. She gets a Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 tickets a few times a month, but had never won big.

However, her most recent picks left the mother and grandmother delighted with a $99,588.30 win.

Garner picked up her usual tickets at the Shoppers Drug Mart on Lawrence Avenue East in Scarborough ahead of the Nov. 26 draw. When she went to check her tickets later she said she was “in for a huge surprise.” Her Lotto Max ticket won her the second-place prize.

“I was out shopping when I decided to check my tickets. Little did I know, I was in for a huge surprise,” Garner told the OLG while in Toronto to pick up her winnings, “All I could say was, ‘Oh gosh!.’ It was a surreal moment.”

“I shared the incredible news with my son, my sister, and a few friends. Everyone was so happy for me,” she continued, “I was thinking about my new granddaughter who was born in October. It feels amazing knowing I can spoil her a little.”

“I’ve always believed that good things happen to good-hearted people,” she concluded.

In addition to spoiling her granddaughter, Garner plans to take a cruise, buy some new furniture and save for a rainy day.

Lotto Max players in Ontario have won over $8.9 billion since 2009, including 111 jackpot wins and 937 MaxMillions prizes, right across the province, said the OLG. Lotto Max is $5 per play and draws are held on Tuesdays and Fridays.