Courtice retiree, long-time pals from Whitby & Oshawa score big lotto wins in same game
Published February 9, 2024 at 12:34 pm
The new INSTANT GOLD PURSUIT lotto game turned out to be instant gold for three Durham Region women who collectively won $200,000 with the $25 scratch tickets.
Long-time friends Theresa Holdsworth of Whitby and Robin Lea of Oshawa – friends for 15 years – are $100,000 richer after winning with the new game and Courtice retiree Denise Hill also won the top prize – her first big lotto win.
Hill discovered her big win while playing her ticket at the store. “I didn’t think I was a winner but when I revealed the prize amount – I was shocked!” she said. “I quietly went out to my car to process what happened. I was shaking!”
Hill said it was her first major win after playing lottery games since 1989.
She says she shared the news with her best friend, who was very happy for her. “It’s just incredible,” she smiled. “This happens to others, not me!”
“This win is going to help me get a new home. I am thrilled to embark on this next part of my life journey and all the possibilities that come with it.”
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The winning ticket was purchased at Metro on Ritson Road in Oshawa.
Holdsworth and Lea have been playing the lottery together for the past few months and decided to try INSTANT GOLD PURSUIT after seeing an email about the launch of the game.
Holdsworth discovered their win while at home playing the ticket. “I was shocked,” she shared while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up their winnings. “I kept asking myself, ‘Is this real?'”
Lea says she received a phone call from her friend about the win, and she was shocked too. “I had to sit down for a minute to compose myself. I was shaking!”
The pair already have plan for their windfall, with Holdsworth planning to pay off some bills and treat her children to something special. As for Lea, she says the lotto win is a “great opportunity” to experience some things on her bucket list, adding that she plans to put her portion of the win toward travel.
“It’s an unbelievable experience,” said Holdsworth. “Sharing it with my friend is so much more special and this will bond us forever.”
The winning ticket was purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart on Thickson Road in Whitby.
INSTANT GOLD PURSUIT is available for $25 and the top prize is $100,000. Odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.19.
Denise Hill of Courtice is $100,000 richer after Instant Gold Pursuit win