Saying “yes” to ENCORE paid off for John Dowling of Selby. He matched all seven ENCORE numbers in exact order in the May 17, 2025 LOTTO 6/49 draw to win $1 million!
The winning ticket was purchased at Petro-Canada on County Road 41 in Napanee.
John, a retiree, has been playing the lottery with OLG for decades. He typically plays twice a week, with LOTTO 6/49 and LOTTO MAX being his go-to games. John adds ENCORE to all his tickets and uses OLG’s Quick Pick feature to make his selections. Now, the father of two is delighted to share how a routine ticket purchase resulted in his first big win!
“The day after the draw, I went to the store to have my ticket validated,” John recalled, during his visit to the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to collect his winnings. “The cashier scanned my ticket and the lottery terminal froze. I think she was even more excited than I was!” he chuckled.
A representative from OLG called the store to start the prize claim process. “When I found out I’d won $1 million, I was shocked!” John said.
As he was driving home from the store, John saw his wife out on a walk with their dog. “I lowered my car window and suddenly got overwhelmed — happy tears started streaming down my face. My wife thought something was wrong and came over to me, asking, ‘What happened?’ I got out of the car, gave her a big hug, and told her ‘We’re millionaires.’”
“My wife was on cloud nine — just so happy and excited,” John said with a smile. After taking a moment to soak it in, the couple headed home to reveal the incredible news to their sons.
“When I got home, I asked my son who was there at the time, ‘What kind of car do you want?’ Then I called my other son and asked him the same question,” John recalled with a grin. “It wasn’t until later that day that I told them I’d won $1 million. They were thrilled!”
With his windfall, John plans to share with his children, buy a new vehicle, and invest.
ENCORE offers 22 ways to win and can be played in conjunction with most lottery games for an extra $1. There are two ENCORE draws every day.
