Father's Day gifts will be hard to top from now on

By Kate Northrop

ST. JOHN'S, Canada — For one dad, nothing says "Happy Father's Day" than being gifted a lottery ticket that turns out to be worth $675,000 (US$523,036).

This year's Father's Day present will be hard to top after a daughter gifted her dad a winning lottery ticket worth six figures.

John and Anne Bartlett, of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, couldn't have been more stunned with the little gift slipped inside a Father's Day card from their daughter.

"I was down to the house where my daughter is to, and she left a Father's Day card for me," John told the Atlantic Lottery. "When I opened it, I saw there [were] two 'Set for Life' tickets in it, and after I handed them to Anne to scratch, she didn't believe what she saw."

Instead of seeing a dollar amount on the scratch-off ticket, there was a three-word phrase printed on it that likely sent their heart racing.

"I saw three suns and the prize payout said 'Set for Life,'" Anne related. "I looked at it at least three times before I called John to show him. The two of us were just jubilant when we saw it."

As it turned out, their daughter had, unknowingly, left a top-prize winning scratch-off ticket in the form of either a $1,000 a week for 25 years payment or a lump sum cash payout of $675,000.

She did not believe her father when he called to tell her the news.

"I'm a bit of a prankster when it comes to my children, but I thought I finally convinced her that we had won," John said. "We hung up the phone and then five minutes later she called me back and said, 'Are you playing with me?'"

But with John now planning to join his wife in retirement, the win is no joke. According to a press release, they'll also use the money to pay off some bills, purchase a new vehicle, and even take a trip to Ireland or Scotland, possibly both.

The couple claimed the fourth top prize in the $4 "Set for Life" instant game out of the five available at the game's launch in December 2021, leaving just one top prize left.

The winning ticket was purchased by the Bartletts' daughter at Valley Convenience Plus in St. John's in Newfoundland and Labrador. For selling it, the retailer will receive a 1% seller's prize, the Lottery said.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)It was a Father's Day unlike any other when John Bartlett received a scratch ticket as a gift from his daughter.