Housewarming gift turned into $50K for Niagara Falls, Ontario man

An Ontario man is celebrating a $50,000 lottery win.

Stefan Dragutinovic of Niagara Falls won $50,000, the top prize with Instant Cash in Multi-Win, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation said.

Dragutinovic, a carpenter, has been playing the lottery for about a decade, OLG said. He typically plays Proline but will occasionally pick up an Instant ticket.

But he didn’t buy this winning ticket.

“My good friend bought me this ticket as a housewarming gift,” he told the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.

The 36-year-old was said he was disbelief when he discovered his win.

“It was a really nice surprise,” he said. “I only shared the news with a few people, and they were so shocked.”

The majority of the winnings will go toward renovations in his new home, Dragutinovic said. He also plans to invest funds and hopes to go on a ski trip with his friend.

“Winning is such an amazing feeling,” he said. “There are so many emotions running through my mind. This is just unreal.”

The winning ticket was purchased at Montrose Variety on Montrose Road in Niagara Falls.