Regular lottery player's big win coincides with big life milestone

By Kate Northrop

TORONTO, Canada — A lot of good happened for one Ontario man who won a $35 million (US$26.58 million) Lotto Max jackpot one week after his daughter's college graduation.

Jayasinghe "Jay" Jayasinghe of Windsor has been a regular lottery player since moving to Canada, but the timing of his lucky break happened to coincide with another great achievement in his family.

"I always hoped that my opportunity would come," he told the Ontario Lottery while picking up his prize in Toronto. "I won this prize exactly one week after my daughter graduated university — it felt like two wins!"

Jay only purchases Lotto Max tickets when the jackpot grows to a certain amount, he explained. The day after the June 6 drawing, he and his wife learned that a winning lottery ticket for a $35 million jackpot was sold in Windsor, the same city where he had purchased a ticket at a Mac's convenience store on Tecumseh Road to enter the draw.

"In that split second, we thought it could be mine," he related. "I didn't really expect it though, so I put it out of my mind."

What started as a fleeting thought spiraled into a new reality for Jay, who went to the store to check his ticket later that day. When he saw the prize amount on the terminal screen, he couldn't believe his eyes and repeatedly scanned the ticket to count the number of zeroes.

"It didn't feel real," he recalled. "My heart was palpitating, my skin had goosebumps, and tears came to my eyes. I can hardly remember the days that followed that moment."

Jay called his wife to relay the news, who instantly had a feeling something was off.

"She knew something had happened from the way I said her name," Jay said in a press release. "When I was finally able to get the words 'Lotto Max' out of my mouth, she was so happy and started to laugh! I drove home to pick her up so we could go back to the store to validate it together."

His wife was already waiting for him outside by the time Jay got back home.

"I got out of the car and gave her a big hug," he continued. "We weren't aware of anything going on around us. It didn't feel like we were on this planet!"

The next person to find out about the win was his daughter, somehow managing to hold the news in until he went to go see her in person.

"I picked her up from work and told her the winning ticket had been sold in Windsor, then showed her a photo of the 'Big Winner' message," Jay explained. "She stared at it for a minute before I told her it was me! She was surprised and so excited for me."

As exciting as it is to come into a $35 million windfall, Jay wants to take it slow to give himself time to process the lifechanging situation. With the prize, he'll be able to fulfill his family's dreams of a new house, support his daughter's education, travel, and donate to organizations near and dear to him, the Lottery said.

"I love road trips," the winner stated. "I've always wanted to explore the country, see the Rockies, and appreciate Canada's natural beauty. I also want to visit family. There are also some special people we want to help — a portion of this win will go to charities that are close to my heart."

While the jackpot is sure to do a lot of good for Jay's family and causes he believes in, he has one big item that's been sitting on his wish list since he was a child.

"I've loved cars ever since I was young," he said. "My father used to save automotive catalogues for me, and I still have them. I've always dreamed of having my own muscle car but spending money on it was never a priority. I told my wife that if I ever won Lotto Max, I would treat myself to a Dodge Charger Hellcat."

From the moment he bought the jackpot-winning ticket to picking up his check in Toronto, winning the lottery has been an experience unlike anything else for Jay.

"I'm so wrapped up in excitement, it's overshadowed everything else," the lucky winner affirmed. "My mind keeps replaying times when we made sacrifices for our future. This is an incredible blessing and an opportunity for a better life. I'm thankful I was able to come to Canada to build my future. I knew this decision would change my life, but I never expected to have good luck like this. There are no limitations for our dreams now."

The winning numbers in the Lotto Max drawing on Tues., June 6, 2023 were 4, 7, 13, 16, 31, 32, and 39. The Bonus number was 26. The odds of matching all seven regular numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 33,294,800.

The Lotto Max jackpot currently stands at $30 million (US$22.73 million) for the next drawing on Tues., June 27, 2023. Lotto Max drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday at 10:30 pm EST. All winning numbers, prizes, and odds are published on Lottery Post's Ontario Lottery Results page right after each drawing.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)A lot of good happened for one Ontario man who won a $35 million (US$26.58 million) Lotto Max jackpot one week after his daughter's college graduation.

Thanks to ebrockerville for the tip.