First-ever lottery ticket leads to huge win for woman in Ontario

An Ontario woman’s first-ever lottery ticket resulted in a huge win.

Iryna Tereshchuk of Toronto won part of a maxmillion prize in the Nov. 25 Lotto Max draw, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation said.

Her ticket was one of three that split a $1 million prize, leading to her taking home $333,333.40.

“This is my first time playing the lottery,” Tereshchuk said.

“I was discussing the lottery with a coworker and decided to pick up a ticket for fun.”

She checked the ticket on OLG.ca the day after the draw.

“I didn’t see my numbers come up for the jackpot, but then I realized they matched the maxmillions winning numbers,” she said.

“I wanted to share the news with my family first, so I called my mom right away, though she was skeptical. I didn’t expect a win like this. It’s so hard to believe, but it feels awesome.”

Tereshchuk, who is 30 years old and works in digital media, said she hopes to travel, buy something for her parents, and invest in her education with the winnings.

“It’ll be nice not to worry about the expense of trying new classes and learning new things,” she said.

The winning ticket was purchased at a Circle K on Yonge Street in Toronto.

Images via the OLG