Mississauga man waits days to validate big-winning lottery ticket: ‘I let the news sink in’

A Mississauga man who won a big lottery prize “let the news sink in,” waiting days before taking his winning ticket to get validated at a store.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) announced in a news release Thursday that Sinisa Samardzija won a top prize worth $100,000 on a scratch ticket.

Samardzija, who is a business owner, has played the lottery with the OLG for more than 12 years, with his favourite game being Lotto Max, the release said.

But it was an Instant Blazing Bounty ticket that gave him his first major win.

“I was at home reviewing my ticket, but I wasn’t sure if it was a winner, so I asked my wife to check it on the OLG app,” he said.

“When I realized I had won $100,000, I was very excited.”

While many people in his situation would want to get the ticket validated as soon as possible, Samardzija took his time.

“I let the news sink in and waited a few days before bringing my ticket to a store to have it validated,” he said.

He plans to invest and pay some bills with the money.

“I know there are only seven top prizes. I hoped to find one, and I’m so happy that I did,” he said.

The winning ticket was bought on in Etobicoke at M & C Lucky Convenience on Martin Grove Road.