An Ontario lottery winner says he worked hard to keep his huge win under wraps while planning a big reveal at a recent family gathering.
Paul Cousineau, 51, of Orillia, found out he won the $5 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot nearly a month after the March 19 draw.
Cousineau explained that he didn’t check his tickets immediately after the draw. “I waited about four weeks. By then, I had over 20 tickets to check,” he said while picking up his winnings at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) in Toronto.
When he finally went to the store to validate his ticket, he says the lottery terminal froze.
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“I remained calm and carried on with my day, only telling my cousin about my win. I even made them take an oath of silence!” Paul said with a laugh.
Cousineau, an administrative professional in the hospitality industry, has been playing the lottery with OLG for decades.
The father of two and grandfather of one is thrilled to be celebrating his first big win but said he wanted to keep his win a secret until he had the cheque in hand so he could do a big reveal at a family barbecue.
The new millionaire says he deliberately downplayed his win when his grandson questioned him.
“Unexpectedly, my grandson checked my ticket and asked, ‘Did you win the jackpot?’ I told him, ‘No, but I won $5,000!’”
He says the win feels “surreal” and that he is “overjoyed” with what feels like a “dream come true.”
The win comes after a tough time for Cousineau, revealing he recently lost his wife.
“Her dream was to take an Alaskan cruise, and I want to honour that by going on one for my 52nd birthday this fall. I’ll have her urn with me, so in a way, she’ll be with me on this trip,” he says.
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