Ontario woman thought she was being 'pranked' after huge Lotto 6/49 win

Nancy Gardner of Brampton. (OLG)

An Ontario woman says she thought she was being pranked when she found out she had won millions in the Lotto 6/49 jackpot.

Brampton resident Nancy Gardner was one of two winners to share an Oct. 26 Lotto 6/49 jackpot worth $5 million, taking home a total of $2.5 million.

In a release issued by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), Gardner said she has been playing the same numbers for years, and that, at first, she thought her winnings were a joke.

“I checked the winning numbers on OLG.ca and thought OLG was playing a prank on me – I was shaking. I couldn’t believe it!” Gardner said in the release

Gardner, a retiree, said she plans to help her family with her winning, and “hopes to purchase a home.”

The winning ticket was purchased at Ins Market in Brampton, Ont.

Lotto 6/49 draws take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays and cost $3 per play.

Last week, the OLG announced a 30-year-old man from Toronto had become $55 million richer after winning a Lotto Max jackpot. 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU WIN THE LOTTERY?

lf you defy the odds and find yourself with a winning ticket, Pattie Lovett-Reid, former chief financial commentator for CTV News, has some advice.

Lovett-Reid's first tip is to resist telling anyone, at least not right away.

“Family, friends, charities, they all come knocking, and you may be unprepared in terms of how to respond,” she said. “That doesn’t mean that you don’t respond and you don’t give, because I think you do. I also think you get to spend, but you need to know what to save. So you have to have a plan.”

Lovett-Reid said a big lottery win, or any sudden windfall, should be followed up with a call to a lawyer, accountant or financial adviser.

She also suggests three simple rules: spend some, give some, save some. 

With files from Northern Ontario's Mike McDonald