Saying “yes” to Encore paid off for area resident Paul Russell. He matched the last six of seven Encore numbers in exact order in the Feb. 25 Lotto Max draw to win $100,000.
The 46-year-old Kitchener resident has been playing the lottery for 15 years. Each week, he plays Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 Quick Picks with Encore, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. said in a release.
“I went to the store to pick up my next set of tickets and decided to check my tickets from the previous draw,” Russell said while visiting the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim his winnings.
“When I scanned my Lotto Max ticket and saw the ‘Big Winner’ message, I had to scan it again to be sure. This was not something I expected to see!”
“While I’m happy and excited, it took a little bit of time to get there—everything felt surreal,” Russell said.
“I shared the news with my sister and a few close friends. They didn’t believe me at first, thinking I was joking around, but congratulated me when they realized I was serious.”
Russell plans to invest his winnings.
Encore can be played in conjunction with most lottery games for an extra $1.
The winning ticket was purchased at Circle K on Westforest Trail in Kitchener.