Ontario man temporarily tricks wife into thinking they won $1,000 instead of $81,000

An Ontario man who won the lottery decided to prank his wife by making her think they had won $1,000 –when in reality they had won nearly 80 times that much. (OLG)

An Ontario man who won the lottery decided to prank his wife by making her think they had won $1,000 –when in reality they had won nearly 80 times that much.

Ed and Debbie Walker from Grimsby, Ont. won the second prize of the Aug. 30 Lotto 6/49 draw, scoring a total of $81,071.80.

Ed Walker had gone to the store alone to scan their lottery ticket.

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“When I saw the big amount come up, I checked it a few more times. I was nervous,” he said as he picked up their windfall at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.

He brought the ticket home to show his wife, but wrote down the prize amount on a piece of paper. Ed Walker set the paper down and covered the 8 when he showed Debbie.

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“I thought we had won $1,000 and I was so happy,” Debbie Walker said. “Then, Ed moved his hand and I saw it was $81,071! I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked.”

With their winnings, the couple plans to travel and do some home renovations.

The winning ticket was bought from a Shoppers Drug Mart on Main Street in Grimsby.