'My jaw dropped,' Ont. woman shocked by first big lottery win

Karen Abbott of Newmarket holds her big cheque worth $50,000 after winning Instant Bingo (Game #3421). (OLG)

Winning the lottery is a thrill anytime of the year, but winning $50,000 at Christmas time is an extra special gift that left Karen Abbott overjoyed.

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The Newmarket woman plays the lottery regularly but celebrated her first big win with an Instant Bingo scratch ticket she purchased at Maxi Mart on Davis Drive.

Abbott said she was in shock when she realized she had revealed a box on the ticket.

“I called out to my husband. I said, ‘I think I won something’. He thought my ticket was a big winner, but I was in denial,” she recalled, adding her husband checked her ticket on his phone using the OLG app, and told his wife she just won $50,000.

“My jaw dropped, and we immediately started to celebrate,” she said.

The couple then called their son to share the good news.

“My son asked his dad, ‘Why is mom screaming in the background?’ When we told him about my win, he said, ‘Okay, let her have her moment,” she laughed.

Abbott said she and her husband spent the next few days in a state of awe.

“We couldn’t believe it,” she shared. “There are no words to explain this feeling. I’m over the moon. This has been a special experience, and I feel very grateful.”

The wife and mother plans to share her windfall with her son and husband, plus “We may consider purchasing a new vehicle,” she finished.

Instant Bingo tickets cost $5 per play and have a top prize of $100,000.