It’s the present of a lifetime.
One charmed Canadian scored big for his birthday, hitting the jackpot and winning nearly $75,000 in the lottery.
John Harris, a lottery player since the 1980s, has tried his luck for decades, consistently losing out until now. He purchased the winning $5 Instant Bingo Doubler ticket from an Ontario store, Rosco’s Mini Mart, scratching it off when he returned home.
“I saw the number 32 and thought I may have a big win. I kept scratching, and I was so shocked to find out I matched all the numbers,” the retiree explained, per Jam Press.
He told Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation officials that he “couldn’t sleep” due to excitement.
“The next day was my birthday, so I went to the store to have my ticket checked,” he added. “It was a great birthday present!”
Now that he’s got the big bucks, he’s going to splurge on a new iPhone, while saving some cash for his daughter’s Costa Rica wedding.
In New York this year, the winning $20 million Mega Millions ticket came from a Bronx deli.
“Whoever it is, I hope it’s one of our regular customers from the area who comes to our store daily, support us,” said Fahad Abubaker, the son of the owner of the 170th Street Grocery, where the winner purchased the ticket. “This store has been here for 20 years and nobody has ever won anywhere near a million dollars.”
But last year, The Post reported that many who hit the jackpot destroy their gilded lives with the sudden wealth. Some winners blew their chance earnings on risky investments and even drugs, while others made dodgy life decisions and wound up dead.
One of the UK’s most notable lottery winners, Colin Weir, reportedly burned his cash on a lavish lifestyle until his death, spending his $50 million winnings in just eight years. He splurged on luxe sports cars and a million-dollar home — which came with renovations at a hefty cost — until his wife divorced him and took a portion of his earnings.
After he died of sepsis in 2019, it was revealed that he spent approximately $131,900 per week.