$1 million lottery win pays off mortgage and home bills for Brampton grandfat

Winning a massive $1 million lottery prize will let a Brampton grandfather pay off his home and invest for the future.

Jeyakumar Rajaratnam says he’s been playing Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 for over two decades and uses the OLG’s Quick Pick option to choose his numbers.

Those Quick Pick digits turned out to be lucky as Rajaratnam matched all seven Encore numbers in exact order for the Aug. 14 draw winning $1 million.

“I checked my ticket using the OLG app and thought I had won $1,000. I stared closely at the screen and quickly realized how much I had really won,” the grandfather from Brampton said while picking up his prize at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.

Rajaratnam said his family was happy to celebrate the windfall.

“I first told my wife and my daughter. I think they were more excited than I was,” he said, adding that the prize money “is truly a blessing.”

Rajaratnam said he plans to use his winnings to pay off bills and his mortgage.

Encore offers 22 ways to win and can be played in conjunction with most lottery games for an extra $1. There are two Encore draws every day.

Encore offers 22 ways to win and can be played in conjunction with most lottery games for an extra $1 with two draws every day. The OLG says it supports safe play and responsible gambling through its PlaySmart program.

The winning ticket was purchased at Woodbine Racetrack on Rexdale Boulevard in Etobicoke.