$1 lottery turns into $1M win for Ontario man who forgot ticket ‘for almost a year’

A Barrie, Ont., man who thought he won $1,000 was happily surprised to find a few extra zeros at the end of his winning ticket.

Ontario Lottery Gaming Corp. says Kanthasamy Thirumaran matched all seven Encore numbers in exact order in the March 15, 2023, Lotto 6/49 draw to win $1 million.

Kanthasamy, a sales assistant, told the lottery organization he purchased his ticket and left it at home.

“I forgot about it for almost a year. I found it while cleaning the house and checked it on the OLG app. I thought I won $1,000 at first — then I realized it was $1 million,” he recalls.

The 45-year-old says he has been in shock about the win.

“I told my wife, and she started to cry tears of happiness,” he said.

The Barrie man has some practical plans for the big win, planning to pay off his mortgage and invest in his children’s education.

He said they may also go on vacation when that’s all handled.

“I’m still in disbelief. I can’t put this feeling into words,” Kanthasamy said.

The winning ticket was purchased at Esso on The Run on Eglinton Avenue in Scarborough.

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