Candy quest turns into $250,000 windfall for Ontario man

A request for candy by his kids at a convenience store turned out to be a very sweet idea for a Whitby realtor, who won the top prize of $250,000 in an Instant Casino Night lottery game.

“I went out for groceries and my kid asked if we could get candy. That’s how we ended up at the convenience store,” Jagadish Kothapalli recounted while visiting the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim his winnings. “While we were there, I randomly decided to pick up a couple of Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49 and Instant tickets. I played the INSTANT tickets right away, and when I went out to my car, I checked them using the OLG app on my phone.”

When he discovered he’d won a top prize of $250,000 on his Casino Night ticket, he was in disbelief. “I was excited and very thankful,” he said with a smile. “My dad was in the car with me at the time, and he was thrilled as well. It was a very unexpected surprise.”

Kothapalli, a married father of two who has been playing the lottery with OLG for seven years, then revealed the news to some other family members. “They’re all very happy for me.”

With his winnings, Kothapalli plans to pay off bills and take a well-deserved vacation. “I feel very fortunate to have won this prize. It will be a huge help.”

The winning ticket was purchased at Thickson Convenience on Thickson Rd. S. in Whitby.