A Toronto man has claimed his share of a massive $50 million lottery jackpot, four days after the ticket he purchased at a downtown newsstand was declared a winner.
John Addo, who came to Canada from Ghana 20 years ago, picked up his cheque for $16.6 million on Tuesday, saying he was too overwhelmed to claim his prize immediately.
"When I gave the retailer my ticket and she told me how much I won, I went into shock. I immediately went straight home and lay down for awhile to think about it," Addo stated on Tuesday. "Then I called a friend to come over, so that I could tell someone."
Friday's $50 million jackpot was split between Addo and two other winners. Jonathan Hines, from Sarnia, Ont., claimed his $16.6 million share on Monday. Another ticket purchased in Quebec has yet to be claimed.
Addo moved from Ghana to Montreal 20 years ago, before settling in Toronto in 2008 and working at a local industrial cleaning company. He said he would use his winnings to visit his family in Ghana.
The latest Ontario wins add to string of luck the region has had recently, which has seen three $50 million jackpots claimed by Toronto-area players.
A $50 million jackpot was claimed by three Toronto bakery workers in March, while a group of 19 Bell Canada workers won the jackpot in January before nine other stepped forward to claim partial ownership. OLG paid the original group $31.7 million, while ownership of the rest of the prize remains embroiled in a court dispute.
Another $50 million prize was also won by a group of Toronto-area factory workers, who face a similar dispute with an additional claimant.
I will not be overwhelmed when I win !
I'm always glad to see a working man strike it rich.
It's not that the super-rich (like George Soros or Michael Moore or Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi) don't deserve it if they buy a ticket, it's just that they're so ungodly rich already that they wouldn't appreciate it as much as a common working man or woman.
That's why I'd rather see common working people like John Addo win than the filthy rich people like Bill Maher or Barney Frank or the Obamas or the Clintons or Charles Schumer or Eric Holder or any of the other wildly wealthy people.
Those people are all so loaded and living fabulous lives in the lap of luxury already, you would have to wonder why they would even buy a ticket. They are so far removed from us by their mountains of money that they can't even relate to us, the common people, anymore.
And now with the war to take Libya's oil they will get even richer.
But still they have a right to buy a ticket to try to get even richer.
So please don't hold their ridiculously fabulous wealth against them.
This is the second story about a janitor winning the lottery. I feel a career change coming on!
girl, i have a bucket and mop in hand right now!
but that's a realistic reaction - shock and the need to lay down
and that must have been a good friend - we all need THAT type of friend, someone you can just share with honestly
and Ghana, here he comes .. i hope you guys make him KING of the entire village!
is he single?
Congrats to Mr. Addo...
LOL......
Congrats to Mr. Addo, enjoy !
Congratulations to the winner, again, and may he enjoy good health and wealth. However, the beauty of his winning is...it's tax free! Wake up, The United States -- give us a break. You mean to tell me that Canada is in such excellent financial health that the government can afford not to tax lotteries? Would someone please explain this logic?
I agree about the taxes but that's as far as I'd wanna go to emulate Canada. They're strange up there. I think it's all the acid rain. I asked one of em why they call french fries hot chips one time and his response was: "Take off, hoser!" What the hell kinda answer is that?
I am looking for a story about a guy in his late Fifties that is on Disability winning a nice Jackpot!
What a great story that would be!
Janitor stories are OK, but a guy in his late Fifties and on Disability would be even better ............. ................just sayin' .................
Congratulations to the Janitor. I hope he retires.
Great story...Hope to have one tomorrow night!
Maybe this story will warm your heart.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/investigators&id=5958940
Yes!!!
I had a couple of janitorial jobs early in my work career, but there weren't any lotteries around for me to play then. Now 45 years later my only hope is to be in the group of retired folks who win a lottery.
Read another article on Mr Addo where he said he knew he was going to win
“My co-workers would often tease me about my weekly ticket purchase, but I had faith I was going to win, but when it really happened I couldn’t stop crying,” said Addo
His faith was so strong he didn't allow any negativity or teasing stop him from fulfilling his dreams
Congrats to Mr Addo and his family
Great story! But I would never have to give my ticket to a retailer to see how much I'd won. The only time a retailer see's or touches my tickets are when they sell them to me, just sayin'.
Hey, every now and then, you hear of the lesser fortunate (not multimilionares) winning a jackpot. Congratulations to him -- a much deserved financial break from struggling from paycheck to paycheck, and for the most part, we have all been there, done that!
Now, it is time to sit back and enjoy, reaping the benefits of a $1.00 or more spent -- and the individual had no idea he would win, either. Makes me wonder, if he is still going to continue working?
Wow you are so caught up in the false left right paradigm it's sad. WAKE UP!!!! They are all wings of the same bird.
Tell ya what sonny boy.
I'll continue voting.
And you continue dressing up all in black with your face covered while kicking over garbage cans and breaking windows with your comrades in downtown Seattle.
OK dude?
Like wow man.