!['I was filled with gratitude,' says Barrie lottery winner](https://barrie360.com/cobPub/uploads/2024/07/july-16-encore-990x495.jpg)
Saying “yes” to Encore paid off for Margaret Gow of Barrie. She matched the last six of seven Encore numbers in exact order in the June 15, 2024 LOTTARIO draw to win$100,000.
Margaret, a retired grandmother, has been playing the lottery with OLG for decades. Her favorite games are LOTTO MAX and LOTTO 6/49, and she always makes sure to add ENCORE to her Quick Pick plays. “On this particular day, I noticed there was a LOTTARIO draw and thought to myself, ‘Why not get a LOTTARIO ticket?’ I had never played the game before,” said Margaret, while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up her winnings. “This decision led to my first big win!”
The morning after the draw, Margaret went to the store to check her ticket. “When I scanned it on the ticket checker, I just froze,” she recalled. “I couldn’t believe it! It was a wonderful surprise. I then had the store clerk validate my ticket, telling her, ‘I think I won some money!’ She went wild with excitement!”
Brimming with excitement herself, Margaret made a few important phone calls. “First, I called all my kids. They all congratulated me and were so happy for me. Once it really sunk in, I was filled with gratitude, thinking of the amount of good I can do with my winnings,” Margaret concluded.
With her windfall, Margaret plans to invest and organize a trip.
The winning ticket was purchased at Zehrs on Bayfield Street in Barrie.