Toronto woman wins $1M prize after years of playing the lottery
Posted June 18, 2025 9:21 am.
Last Updated June 18, 2025 9:22 am.
A Toronto woman is $1 million richer after matching all seven ENCORE numbers in exact order during the April 18, 2025, OLG Lotto Max draw.
Nancy Lynch, a benefits consultant who says she has been playing the lottery for two decades, purchased her winning ticket online at OLG.ca, using the Quick Pick option — a method she’s long relied on when jackpots are high.
“I got an email from OLG telling me I’d won big, but I wasn’t sure what a ‘big’ prize meant,” she said. “When I checked my ticket and discovered I’d won $1 million, I was stunned. I thought to myself, ‘How can this be?’ In disbelief, I counted the zeroes over and over again.”
Lynch says she has regularly added ENCORE to her tickets for the past year — a $1 add-on she now credits with changing her life. This is her first major win.
She says sharing the news with friends brought tons of excitement.
“At first, no one believed it,” she said. “When they realized it was real, they were so happy for me.”
Now a millionaire, Lynch says she plans to travel to England and Ireland while setting aside a portion of her winnings for savings and investments.
“I’m still in shock and it doesn’t feel real,” she said. “I think my experience will give others hope that real people actually win.”
The winning ticket was purchased on OLG.ca.
