Burlington retiree wins $11M Lotto 6/49 jackpot

A 65-year-old retiree from Burlington is $11 million richer all because of his wife’s bad breath.

Laurence Goldwater said he picked up two Lotto 6/49 quick picks when his wife asked him to go to the store after dinner.

“The night I bought the tickets, my wife and I were having dinner before heading to a movie. She had a caesar salad and asked me to stop to buy breath mints so she wouldn’t offend anyone sitting next to her in the theater,” he explained after picking up his winnings at the OLG’s head office in downtown Toronto.

Goldwater said when he went to check the tickets at a neighbourhood drug store, the self-checking machine only said “big winner” so he had the clerk check the ticket. That’s when he was shocked to learn his fortune.

“After speaking to an OLG representative on the phone about the win, the terminal printed out a big receipt stating $11 million in big bold letters, and that’s when the store clerk started shouting out the news,” he said.

The couple has five adult children and Goldwater said their mortgages will all be paid off. He added that money will be put aside for the future education of his seven grandchildren.

“This is what you do with such a windfall. You take care of your family first. With the rest of the money, my wife and I will really enjoy our retirement,” he said.

The OLG says that since LOTTO 6/49 was launched in June 1982, Ontario players have won more than $10 billion in prizes, including 1,261 jackpot wins.

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