Prize of nearly $69K for first-time lottery winner in Brampton

A chef from Brampton says he’ll pay off some debts after scoring a nearly $69,000 lottery win.

Prem Baral is a father and chef in Brampton who has been playing OLG lottery games for the last three years, usually playing games like Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max, Daily Grand and Lottario.

He usually used the OLG’s quick pick feature when selecting his tickets, and says he was shocked to learn he’d won $68,715.30 in the May 24 Lotto 6/49 draw.

“After the draw date, I checked my ticket using the OLG app on my phone and was shocked to see the winning amount,” he said while visiting the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim his windfall. “I started counting the numbers, just to be sure I was reading it right. It was such a happy moment.”

After asking his son to double-check the ticket, the win finally sunk in for Baral.

“I wanted to be sure,” he said. “My son was surprised and thrilled for me. He told me, ‘Not many people win a prize like this — and now you’re one of them.’”

Baral says he feels “joyful and blessed to be a winner,” and plans to spend some of the winnings to pay off debts.

“The feeling is very different from anything I’ve ever experienced before. I’m filled with excitement,” he said.

The Lotto 6/49 Classic Draw offers a fixed $5 million jackpot for every draw, while the Gold Ball Draw guarantees a $1 million prize, or the growing jackpot that starts at $10 million and can exceed $60 million, the OLG says.

The OLG says it supports safe play and responsible gambling through its PlaySmart program.

The winning ticket was purchased at Sobeys on Fischer-Hallman Road in Kitchener.