Mississauga man celebrating $1 million lotto win after saying "Yes"

 

A Mississauga man is $1 million richer after saying "yes" to Encore.

OLG says that Nelu Ralea matched all seven Encore numbers in the exact order in the Jan. 16, 2021 Ontario 49 draw to win $1,000,000. 

OLG also says Ralea won four additional smaller prizes on different draws on the same ticket bringing his total winnings to $1,000,014.

Ralea, a 62-year-old accountant, said he went to cash his ticket while out on a Sunday when he got a big surprise.

"I went to cash in my ticket - when I saw $1 million, I couldn't believe it," he told OLG.

"I told my wife, 'I think we won big!'"

He plans to pay bills, take care of family and plan for retirement.

"This is a big light after darkness."

The winning ticket was purchased at Loblaws on McLaughlin Road in Mississauga.

In accordance with government-issued lockdown measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, OLG is currently limiting the number of in-person prize claim appointments at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to only those that require a face-to-face interview.