Barrie woman wins big with lottery ticket purchased on a whim
Margaret Gow of Barrie, Ont., holds her big cheque after winning $100,000 in the June 15, 2024, Lottario draw. (Source: OLG)
A retired woman from Barrie who decided on a whim to play a lottery game for the first time is planning a vacation with her $100,000 win.
Margaret Gow has played the lottery for decades, typically choosing Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49, and says she always adds encore numbers to every ticket.
"On this particular day, I noticed there was a Lottario draw and thought to myself, 'Why not get a Lottario ticket?' I had never played that game before," the retired grandmother says.
That last-minute decision resulted in Gow's first big win.
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She matched the last six of seven encore numbers in exact order in the June 15 Lottario draw.
"When I scanned it on the ticket checker, I just froze," she shares. "I couldn't believe it. It was a wonderful surprise. I then had the store clerk validate my ticket, telling her, 'I think I won some money."
Gow says the store clerk "went wild with excitement."
"Once it really sunk in, I was filled with gratitude, thinking of the amount of good I can do," she added.
Gow purchased her winning ticket at Zehrs on Bayfield Street in Barrie.
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