Man standing in line at store helps confirm $1M lotto win for Mississauga resident

Not believing for the moment his own good fortune, Carlos Nicolas had his high hopes confirmed when a fellow store customer congratulated him on becoming one of Ontario’s latest millionaires.

Nicolas, a retired father of three from Mississauga, held a winning Encore ticket from the March 21 Lotto Max draw worth $1 million. His ticket matched all seven Encore numbers in exact order to stake claim to the big prize.

“I went to the store and scanned my Lotto Max ticket using the ticket checker. When I saw the prize amount, I was amazed and asked the clerk to validate it,” Nicolas recounted while visiting the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim his windfall. “A man behind me said, ‘Congratulations on winning $1 million.’ I was very excited and shocked that I’d won.”

The Mississauga man said he quickly left the store to share the news with family.

“I headed home and revealed the incredible news to my wife,” he said. “She was overwhelmed and in disbelief. She called our kids, and they were just as surprised.”

Nicolas, who’s been playing the lotto via OLG since long-ago days of Wintario, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s first lottery draw discontinued in 1996, said he’s already made plans for the money.

“I will invest for my retirement, pay some bills, travel and share with my kids,” he said.

Nicolas has faithfully played Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 each week for many years, purchasing Quick Picks and playing Encore consistently, he told lottery officials.

The winning ticket was purchased at Stop & Go Convenience, on Eglinton Avenue West in Mississauga.

(Cover photo: OLG)