Ridgeway couple wins $1 million playing Encore

A couple from Ridgeway will always remember a recent stop at a local convenience store.

Not only did one of them quench their thirst with some water at the Avondale on Dominion Road, they walked out with something much more valuable.

They matched all seven Encore numbers in exact order in the March 19 Lotto 6/49 draw to win $1 million.

Karen and Pat Huffman, parents of five and grandparents of eight, have been occasional lottery players for decades, says a news release from the OLG.

When the jackpots are high, the retirees will pick up a ticket, always with Encore.

“I was on my way to meet up with my knitting group at the yarn shop when I stopped at the convenience store to buy a bottle of water,” Karen recounted as she and Pat visited the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim their winnings.

“At the same time, I bought us a Lotto 6/49 ticket. Three weeks later, I found our ticket in my purse. I scanned it on the OLG app, and when I saw the prize amount, my first thought was that Pat was playing some kind of trick on me,” she said in the news release.

“Together, we scanned our ticket again, and at first, I thought it said we’d won $1,000,” said Pat, proudly donning a knit sweater that Karen had handmade for him. “We checked it a few more times before realizing it was $1 million!”

After confirming with OLG that they’d won, the couple “giggled for days,” Karen said. “We shared the news with our kids, and much like us, they were overwhelmed but very happy.”

The couple plans to share the prize with their children and travel.

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