Fill-up of gas leads to $1M lottery win for Mississauga men and their pals

A quick stop for gas has led to a $1 million lottery win for two Mississauga men and a pair of their pals.

The four friends have been playing the lottery together twice weekly for the past eight months and they’ve been rewarded in relatively short order.

Robert Kotyk, Andrew Infelise, both of Mississauga, Paul Lehoveczki, of Norval, and Robert Kenzora, of Markham, won their big Maxmillions prize in the Nov. 22 Lotto Max draw, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) officials said in a news release.

Kotyk, retired and the newest member of the group, picked up the Quick Pick tickets at a Shell station on Credit Valley Road in Mississauga.

“While making a quick stop for gas, I decided to purchase our tickets,” Kotyk said while he and his group visited the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim their winnings. “When I checked this particular ticket and realized we’d won $1 million, I started shaking. It was hard to believe. The store staff were very happy and helpful.

“In disbelief, I called my wife and said, ‘I think we just won the lottery.’ Then I reached out to the guys. It was surreal to share the news with them.”

The group members plan to use their windfall to pay bills and mortgages, invest and take vacations.

(Cover photo: OLG)