Toronto, ON – Nicola Imineo of Woodbridge can “find his possible” after winning a LOTTO 6/49 prize worth $1 million in the Gold Ball Draw on July 19, 2025.

Nicola, a proud husband and father, has been playing the lottery with OLG for decades. His go-to games are LOTTO MAX and LOTTO 6/49. Over the years, the retiree has won a number of small prizes, but nothing could have prepared him for the thrill of becoming a millionaire overnight!

“I won this prize with the same set of numbers I always play. It’s a mix of special birthdays and my favourite numbers,” he shared, while visiting the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to collect his winnings. “I like to replay my numbers for a chance to win big.”

One day, Nicola went to one of his regular stores to check his LOTTO 6/49 ticket. In that moment, his dream became a reality.

“Before I went in, I thought to myself, ‘What if this is the big one?’ I went up to the cashier to have my ticket validated and asked to replay the same numbers. When they scanned my ticket and realized it was a big winner, they were freaking out more than I was!” he said with a laugh.

The first person Nicola wanted to tell was his wife. “She was out shopping at the time, so I waited until she got home and said, ‘I have something to tell you.’ She couldn’t believe it.”

It just so happened that the family already had a lunch planned for that day, giving Nicola the perfect opportunity to share the life-changing news with his kids.

“They were in disbelief too,” he recalled with a smile. “My daughter had to check my ticket on the OLG app to make sure it was true.”

With his winnings, Nicola plans to take a well-deserved vacation and share his good fortune with his family. “We’re going to take our time to enjoy this win,” he said, beaming. “All the kids are out buying tickets now!”

LOTTO 6/49 offers players a chance to win two multi-million dollar jackpots every Wednesday and Saturday, for the same $3 per play.

The Classic Draw offers a fixed $5 million jackpot for every draw, while the Gold Ball Draw guarantees a $1 million prize, or the growing jackpot that starts at $10 million and can exceed $60 million. Click here for more information about the new LOTTO 6/49.

The winning ticket was purchased at Hasty Market on Major MacKenzie Drive West in Woodbridge.

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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