Rodney Willoughby of Sudbury has a million reasons to celebrate after winning the guaranteed $1 million prize from the Jan. 7 LOTTO 6/49 draw.
“I have been playing LOTTO 6/49 since I’ve been legally eligible to,” said Willoughby while at the OLG Prize Centre where he picked up his winnings.
“I have specific numbers that I like to play.”
The 51-year-old married father of three bought a ticket at a random location while visiting London.
“There was no lineup at the cash register so I paid for my gas and took an extra moment to buy a ticket.”
The day following the draw, Rodney checked his ticket at OLG.ca.
“The last two digits on the LOTTO 6/49 Guaranteed $1 Million Prize stood out because they matched the numbers on my ticket," said Willoughby.
"My three kids were around so I shared the news with them and they were excited. I didn’t want to get their hopes up just in case. My wife wasn’t with us so I called her. I told her I won the lottery and she couldn’t believe it.”
When Rodney arrived back in Sudbury, his wife joined him and they went to the store to validate his winning ticket.
“When I saw the words, ‘Big Winner’ flash on the screen it became real. My wife started to cry and the retailer was so excited for us as well. There were only a few people who came into the store and everyone was so happy.”
Plans are underway for Rodney’s big win.
“This prize makes us mortgage free. It’s amazing. I would like to share my win with my extended family so they will all be getting gifts and I can’t wait to see their reactions. I would also like to take my immediate family on vacation. Maybe a Disney Cruise, who knows," said Rodney.
"The kids are all grown up and I would like to do something special with them before they all go off on their own. Winning this prize also means I can be more generous with donations. It feels great being able to help others and now I can do more with it. This feels surreal. I am so grateful. I’m a surgeon by profession and I love what I do and will continue to work. I won’t be retiring early. My wife and I will have the freedom and opportunity to travel more often at an earlier age.”
