TORONTO, ON – Jack and Zofia Cenkowski of Brampton are $1 million richer after winning a top prize with INSTANT IN THE MONEY MULTIPLIER (Game #2207).

Jack and Zofia, a married couple, have been playing the lottery together for 11 years. They like to play a mix of games, including LOTTO MAX, LOTTO 6/49, LOTTARIO, and a variety of INSTANT tickets. For Jack, the thrill of playing goes back even further — in 1986, he won a vehicle through a WINTARIO promotion. Over time, Jack and Zofia’s Friday ticket purchases have turned into a cherished tradition. Now, they’re thrilled to share how a simple weekly routine led to a million-dollar surprise!

It all started on a seemingly ordinary Friday when they went out to pick up their tickets. “This game was fairly new to us — we’d only been playing it for a couple months,” they explained, while visiting the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to collect their winnings.

It was around 2 a.m. when Jack woke up to get some water. “I saw the ticket lying there and decided to play it,” he recalled. “Then I scanned it using the OLG app on my phone and had to count the zeroes multiple times to be sure I was reading the prize amount correctly. I started shaking and ran upstairs to my wife, who was asleep at the time.”

Jack woke Zofia up, asking her to check the ticket. “I said, ‘I think we just won $1 million!’ Overwhelmed with emotion, Zofia took a look at the ticket and burst into joyful tears.

“My son woke up to all the noise we were making,” Zofia said with a chuckle. “When we told him about our win, he was in disbelief. He scanned the ticket on his phone too, just to be sure. We were all so shocked and happy; we were up until the morning due to all the excitement!”

When asked what it’s like to win the lottery, the couple said, “It feels like a weight has been lifted. It’s a very freeing feeling — as if you have no worries in life.”

Zofia, a self-described chocolate lover, added, “It feels like having a ton of chocolate cake!”

With their windfall, Jack and Zofia plan to pay off bills, invest, and treat themselves to some well-deserved travel.

INSTANT IN THE MONEY MULTIPLIER is available for $10 a play and the top prize is $1 million. Odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.76. Visit the INSTANT page on OLG.ca for more information on this and other great games.

The winning ticket was purchased at North Park Variety Store on Torbram Road in Brampton.  

OLG supports safe play and wants to keep the fun in the game. That’s why OLG is proud to be a leader in promoting responsible gambling with our globally recognized PlaySmart program.

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Celebrating 50 years of wins and giving back! OLG is a crown agency that contributes to a better Ontario by delivering great entertainment experiences for our customers. Acting in a socially responsible way, OLG conducts and manages land-based gaming facilities; the sale of province-wide lottery games; Internet gaming; and the delivery of bingo and other electronic gaming products at Charitable Gaming Centres. OLG is also helping support the horse racing industry in Ontario. OLG has been giving back to Ontario since 1975, generating approximately $62 billion for the people and the Province to support key government priorities like health care; the treatment and prevention of problem gambling; and support for amateur athletes. Each year profits from OLG's operations also support host communities, Ontario First Nations, lottery retailers and local charities across the province.

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